Haptic
by ALaCarte
Summary: Matt decides to take a trip to a local shop for some games, and finds something else... MattXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Haptic: Chapter One**

She scanned the shelf meticulously, her frown increasing with every visual swipe. Usually '_Addicts'_, her ultimate shop choice for buying comics, held most of the titles she looked for—but not today. She flicked back her light blonde hair, wrinkling her freckled nose as she let out a frustrated sigh and marched in a beeline for the register counter.

"Dale!" she let out in an angry tone, interrupting a transaction between the fat cashier and a goggled redhead. She placed her palms on the sickly yellow countertop and fixed the portly, middle-aged balding man with a cold gaze.

"Yes, Eddy?" Dale, the cashier asked her in a mockingly concerned tone. He hadn't even turned to look at her, or to catch the dark glare she was sending him.

"You don't have it" the blonde shot back simply, scowling at him for his sarcastic tone.

"Can we do this later? Maybe you can't tell from way down there, but I have a customer here" Dale said, making her seethe with the jab about her height. Even though Dale (and most average males) was only five inches taller than her, he took every chance he could to tease her about her height complex.

Eddy shot Dale a wish-I-could-set-you-on-fire look before turning towards the redheaded boy. "This will only take a minute, pinky swear" she assured, but she had a suspicion that the boy was indifferent about the delay. He looked more amused than annoyed about the argument that was, no doubt, about to commence. Eddy focused her wrath back on Dale, subconsciously raising herself up on her toes to get eye level with him.

"Do you remember on the 12th? Two weeks ago to this day?" she asked, glaring as Dale gave an eye roll. For a business owner, Dale could definitely care less about customer service.

"Yes, I remember exactly when you come in and whatever you say to me because you are just _so_ important. Despite the fact that I have hundreds of customers daily since this is the finest comic, movie, and videogame emporium in town" he stated sarcastically.

"Maybe if you took your head out of you're as—" Eddy began "enlighten me as to what I agreed to, _your highness_" Dale interrupted. She fought the urge to smack him with a nearby Final Fantasy strategy guide.

"You," Eddy began, pointing her finger accusingly in his face, "told me that my special order of B.B. would be here _today_! I'm not paying an extra five bucks because you don't stock the good comics, when I could just go on Amazon and get it three days sooner!" She nearly shouted, not effecting Dale's apathetic expression regardless.

"Well did you check the B section of the shelves?" he asked incredulously and Eddy gave a heavy sigh before running a hand through her hair.

"You told me to do that when I asked you about it _five minutes ago_! I told you to check the back room and you said _'oh, I stocked it on the shelf'_" she finished, complete with air quotes and an extremely annoyed expression.

"I did not say that, I always keep the special orders in the back" Dale stated and she shot him another seething glare that would, if it was actually possible, set him ablaze.

"Like I said, maybe if you took your head out of you're as—" Eddy started "I'm going, I'm going" Dale grumbled, cutting her off and shuffling through the door behind the counter. Eddy sunk back on her heels, regaining her normal short height.

"So, what's B.B.?"

The comment made her jump; she'd completely forgotten the redheaded boy was still standing next to her, awaiting his own purchase. She recovered quickly and raised a brow at him as she spoke, "You've never heard of it? It's only _the best_ zombie comic ever conceived: '_Brain Bashers'_. The storyline is completely believable; it actually has zombiephiles, and the art is amazing with fantastic pans—you know, it's not like one of those amateur zombie comics where the artist has obviously not taken anatomy" Eddy laughed lightly before she caught his gaze. His face looked a little lost, and she couldn't help but blush a bit with embarrassment. She had the habit of over-sharing to the point where most people she came into contact with knew she was a complete comic nerd.

"Sorry, you're not a big comic fan are you? I've started to realize when I get too technical" she finished with a half-smile, feeling like a dork as she rubbed an arm nervously. The boy grinned at her and held up the cases in his hands as if to reassure her "Nah, I'm much more into games actually" he stated and she let out a prophetic 'ahh' as she nodded in understanding.

"That explains it, only good indie comic lovers know about B.B. I'm not much into games myself, but you have good taste" Eddy stated, tapping the copy of Borderlands that was among his small stack of purchases. He chuckled "yeah, they have a fair selection here, but I couldn't find a bunch of stuff I wanted... Do you know any better places?" Eddy frowned at his statement; it reminded her that they were currently in Dale's store.

"Dale has to be the most callous and uncaring shopkeeper in LA, but there's no better place than here. I wish though, Dale's such a hassle to deal with" she stated with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. A short uncomfortable silence ensued and Eddy rubbed an arm awkwardly. "So, are you visiting town or something? I mean, you aren't well-informed about shops for a gamer" she asked, shoving her hands deep in her pockets to avoid eye contact.

"Not visiting really, more of a long work—" The squeak of the back room door interrupted the redhead and Eddy immediately focused on Dale as he came through the doorframe.

"You are so much frigging trouble. It was all the way at the bottom of the new shipment" Dale remarked, tossing the thin issue on the counter and making Eddy let out a short squeal as she lurched forward. Almost as soon as the comic hit the counter, she was carefully clasping it in both hands. "Don't throw it, you'll bend the corners!" she scolded, holding the issue fragilely to her chest.

"Yeah whatever, you have your comic, now let the dude buy his stuff" Dale sighed, gesturing to the redhead still waiting patiently. Eddy turned to give the redhead a sheepish smile and offer thanks, but just as she opened her mouth, the boy spoke up.

"I can wait, it's cool" the redhead said with a smile, swinging his arm out in an after-you gesture to Eddy. She was surprised, to say the least, that a complete stranger could be so kind; most people in LA were so self-consumed that it was a wonder anything got done.

"Thanks dude!" she said earnestly, surprise still on her face as she gave him a large grin. She spun around to Dale quickly, carefully passing him the issue to ring up.

"$9.40, do you want a protector?" Dale asked flatly and Eddy hummed in thought as she surveyed the wall behind the counter that displayed the transparent sheets. "Do you have any Concases, or are you all out… _yet again_?" she asked, the latter with a slight glare, and Dale sighed exasperatedly at her. "No. you, of all people, know I only re-order protectors on the first of every month" he stated and she frowned. "I'll just carry it then" Eddy stated, handing him the cash as he slipped the issue back to her. She stepped to the side of the long counter as the redhead approached and handed his purchases over to Dale.

Eddy paid no attention to the exchange as she flopped her green messenger bag on the counter and retrieved a large, clear sandwich bag. She quickly slipped B.B. #24 inside before sealing it closed and setting it carefully inside the hard binder in her messenger bag, as to protect from bending or tears as much as possible. All of the meticulous work had her intensely focused, and when he tapped her on the shoulder it made her jump considerably.

"Whoa, calm down" the redhead said with a laugh and her cheeks immediately stung with embarrassment. "I was just going to ask if you had a quarter" the goggled boy finished and she nodded stupidly before digging around in her bag for her change purse. Eddy handed the coin to him before slinging the army green bag back around her shoulder, and turning for the door without another word.

The register churned out a receipt behind her as she reached the shop door, but quick carpeted footsteps as well as a loud "Hey!" made her stop in her tracks. Eddy was inches from opening the door when she turned slightly, and upon spotting the redhead, she couldn't help but raise a brow at the large grin adorning his face.

"I think a quarter earns you, at least, a walk home" he said, reaching in front of her and holding the door open. Eddy looked from the redhead to the doorframe as the audible ding of the shop door resounded loudly. She bit her lip lightly and silently weighed her options between facing the walk in the dark alone, or with a stranger.

"…Well, since you don't strike me as a _total_ creeper… why not?" she said with a light laugh, glancing at him before gliding through the door and into the dark LA street outside. Eddy had arrived at the shop before sunset, and it was almost surprising that the streetlamps were now dotting the pitch dark night. But, as always, she could lose hours in a comic book shop.

The two fell in step with each other as an awkward silence cut in "so… Is your name really Eddy?" the redhead asked curiously in conversation, looking confused as she let out a deep sigh. One of the many reasons she disliked socializing was because of her accursed name, and explaining her nickname.

"Nah, my real name is…" she cringed and gritted her teeth as she spoke, "Edwina" she finished, and even if he tried to cover it up with a cough, she could still hear him snicker.

"Wow… I am really sorry" the redhead said, giving her a quirky smile as he tried desperately not to laugh out loud. She tried to ignore the way his smile was infectious, making her smile as soon as it worked across his face.

"Yeah, I know, but that's what I get for being born to parents expecting a boy. Anyway, that's why everyone calls me Eddy" she explained, the pointed at him with mock severity, "So don't call me Edwina!" she demanded before dropping the façade to giggle and smile at him.

There was another awkward silence, and she suddenly became more aware of the chilly nighttime air. She shoved her hands deep in her pockets; thankfully she'd chosen to wear warm jeans, although she wished for a sweater because of her thin t-shirt. LA was usually warm during the day, but like most deserts, it could get chilly and freezing at night.

"What's your name, anyway?" she asked, looking up at the redhead and trying to distract herself from the growing goose bumps on her arms. "Uh, Matt" he quickly supplied and she gave him a weird look, "Nice to meet you, UhMatt" she said with a teasing smirk and a visible shiver, which made him squint at her "are you cold?" he questioned, and she rubbed her arms for warmth "…well maybe a bit" Eddy said sheepishly, but Matt only smiled at her.

"Well, I don't have a jacket but--" he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "I hope this is just as good" he finished and they smiled at each other. "You do have a very interesting choice in fashion, by the way" Eddy said with a light laugh as she poked the fuzz on his vest. "Hey, it's comfortable and _warm_" he said, shooting her a smug look, "besides, I can't help it since I dress in the dark" he finished and she let out a short laugh at him. "So you call what you're wearing warm?" she questioned with a dubious look at his thin striped shirt, making him smile amusedly at her expression.

"Well, back in New York it gets waaay colder than this" Matt said, and she looked at her feet. "Oh. So you live in New York, and you're just here for work?" Eddy asked, focusing on the concrete under her flats as they walked. "Yep, but I'll definitely be here for quite awhile. It's a big project" he explained and she looked up at him again, a small smile gracing her features. "Oh? That's cool. So… what is it that you do?" She asked, and Matt gave a long thoughtful pause as he looked at a faraway rooftop.

"I'm a programmer" he stated simply, almost as if deciding so, and she nodded slowly in understanding. "With computers?" she questioned and Matt nodded as he focused his gaze back on her. "So, what do _you_ do?" he asked, and she immediately blushed brightly.

"I'm a comic book artist. Pretty much a supreme dork" she said with a nervous laugh and he grinned at her. "Really? That's pretty cool actually, what's something you've done?" his question only made her blush harder with embarrassment. "Um… well, only lame web comics as of late… I can't get anyone to publish me, not that I don't try. I just haven't gotten my break yet. I should really say I'm more of a waitress than anything" she finished with an airy laugh that he couldn't help but grin at.

"It's cute when you blush like that" Matt stated and she glanced away from him quickly as her cheeks burned darker, catching the name of the street sign as she did so. "Oh, this is my street actually. That's me right there" Eddy said brightly, pointing two apartment complexes down from the corner they were at.

"Wow, you're actually pretty close to me. I'm just a few apartments over that way" he said, gesturing to the right down a small side street. "Awesome, maybe we can hang out sometime!" she said, giving him a smile which soon faltered at the sight of his uneasy expression. "What is it?" Eddy questioned as the two came to a stop in front of her apartment stoop. He removed his arm from around her.

"Nothing," Matt stated quickly before grinning at her, "Anyway, Madam, I believe we have reached your residence. Please place all tray tables in the upright position; we hope you enjoyed your trip home with, the one and only, Matt" he finished with a bow and Eddy giggled at his cheesy grin.

"Yeah, thanks for walking me. It was nice meeting you" she said, pushing her hair behind her ear and stuffing her hands in her pockets again. Her eyes were darting anywhere but at him.

"See you around" Matt stated, turning away with a smile. She watched him take a few steps before walking up the stoop steps herself, but she couldn't help but hesitate as she took out her keys.

He was cute, funny, and nice… not like most of the jerks in LA. It was a long time since she'd thought about boys, but maybe she was ready to get out there again. Maybe Matt was a sign. Not all guys _had_ to be jerks. She toyed with the red sharpie on her key ring.

"Wait, Matt!" she called, racing down the steps and catching up with the redhead quickly. "Yeah?—hey!" Matt protested as she grabbed his hand, rolling down his glove and scribbling on the bare skin with the mini sharpie.

"Oh shut up, it's just my number" Eddy said with a smile as she added her name to the number. "Call me sometime, okay?" she finished and patted his check gently.

Matt grinned as he watched her walk back to her stoop and enter the large door. She was cute, but the last thing he needed now was attachment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all for reading; I must admit I am a bit surprised at how many reviews I've gotten! I must say, sincerely, Thank you! Please enjoy this chapter and continue to review! --Luv, Cart**

* * *

Matt paused his DS game and sighed in frustration, this was the fourth time he'd died before the checkpoint. He was obviously distracted. "Maybe I should call…" he murmured out loud as he rolled down his glove and eyed the fading red name on his hand; it had only been two days. Wasn't modern protocol to wait three days? Was he allowed to call on a weekend, or should he wait for Monday?

Matt sighed again as he ran a hand through his hair. Dating or girls or whatever it was, should be the last thing on his mind—not even something he should be thinking about in the first place. Mello said attachments should be avoided; Kira would probably kill them sooner or later, leaving behind someone who would care was obviously a mistake.

"Ugh, what do I do?" He muttered to himself, taking off his goggles to rub his face. It didn't have to be so serious, it could be casual. Why was he worrying himself so much? Even if they had some great chemistry, there was no reason to think they were going to get serious. Casual was great, superficial, and no one would get hurt. Hell, a lot of people did that these days. Besides, if he called, maybe he would stop being so distracted daydreaming about her.

Making up his mind, Matt got up from the couch in what was designated as 'his room' in the mafia headquarters. As he opened the door and stepped into the hall he re-applied his goggles, the fluorescents as well as sunlight made his eyes (that were so accustomed to dark gaming rooms) sting and tear without the tinted goggles. As an afterthought, he rolled back up his glove.

"Mello!" he shouted towards the doorway down the hall, but stopped abruptly as he reached it and saw the blonde surrounded by mafia members. They were no doubt busy planning something. They always were. Mello had that what-do-you-need-_now_?! Look on his face that Matt hated; it was like Matt was a child that wouldn't shut up and 'let the adults talk'. Mello could be so damn condescending.

"_What_?" Mello demanded in his PMS tone, taking a bite from a chocolate bar. Ever since Mello had joined the mafia, Matt felt like his best friend was ignoring him. Sure, part of him liked the plenty of perks they got from being with the gang, but most of Matt still hated the mafia for taking his friend away.

"Never mind, happy plotting" Matt stated flatly before leaving the doorway to look for his phone himself. To tell the truth, parts of Mello were always gone—even from the beginning. Mello was consumed by the desire to beat Near from day one, and his competitive nature was still the same now, if not worse. The pale, white-haired boy always took up most of Mello's thoughts and time. Matt supposed he should be used to being ignored by now, because even back in Whammy's it felt like parts of Mello were always off somewhere else plotting. Now it was just plots on a bigger scale, and less room for Matt to fit in than before.

Really, this only solidified the 'screw Mello's orders' action that Matt was currently in progress of committing.

The redhead sighed as he reached the large kitchen of the mafia headquarters; and there it was, just like he suspected. He picked up the silver phone and quickly flipped it open before removing his glove to reveal Eddy's number. He took a deep breath and then dialed, making sure to get the number right. It rang twice before he heard the click of it being answered.

"Hello?" It was a male voice and Matt froze, his mouth turning dry, as it continued, "_Hello_? Who is this?" The voice questioned, but the phone was suddenly snatched away before Matt could come to his senses and reply.

"Don't answer my phone for me, jerk!" that was Eddy. So then who was the guy? "Hi! Sorry that was my brother" at her words, Matt took a bigger sigh of relief than he should have. He was thankful he didn't have to ask and risk sounding like a jealous jerk.

"Oh, that explains it" he stated, and he couldn't help the smile growing on his face at her sunny voice. He pictured her face as she spoke, light thin blonde hair sliding down to her shoulders with crisp blue eyes and the freckles; oh the cute patch of freckles dusting her nose and cheeks, Matt always had a thing for freckles.

"Matt? Hey! What's up?" she said enthusiastically and Matt leaned against the counter, shaking his head as he tried to stop his daydreaming. "Matt?" she asked again, and he imagined her sweet pink lips forming the words with a smile.

"Uh nothing really, I was just wondering what you're doing for lunch" he said with a grin as he heard her giggle through the phone.

"What'd you have in mind?" Eddy questioned, but Matt knew she would agree regardless to what he said.

She had to admit, she was a bit nervous. Eddy had changed her outfit at least 3 times before deciding on a pair of flattering blue jeans and a tight, black resident-evil-umbrella tank top. It was better than a dress or skirt; it was casual but still not too tomboyish. Plus, the afternoon sun was plenty warm enough to show a bit of skin. All she had to do now was wrangle with her limp hair.

"So how important is this boy? You're acting like you're in high school" Edward commented from the doorway with a smirk. He had her face, only with manlier features—but they had looked identical when they were younger. They still had the same cornflower blue eyes, straight blonde hair, freckles, pale fair skin, naturally rosy cheeks, and pouty lips. They were basically the same face, well, for the most part… (Edward sported scratchy blonde stubble)

"Shut up and get out! I'm dressing!" Eddy shouted as she blushed, picking up a blue sundress before throwing it and hitting her twin smack in the face. He didn't retreat out of the room, but instead removed the dress and walked towards the large closet.

"Please, you've been dressing for an hour. By the way, could you show more cleavage?" Edward asked, rolling his eyes as he hung up the dress and placed it in the closet they shared. The apartment was only a one-bedroom, and even for that price it was hard to make rent, so the two were forced to share a room.

"I_ said_ shut up, jerk. I just so happen to like this guy, okay?" Eddy stated, her insults more nervous and kidding than serious. She turned around as she observed her outfit in the full-length mirror, making Edward snicker as she held up her hair. Eddy tried desperately to decide between a ponytail, or simply leaving it loose.

"Well then, I hope you know I'm meeting him. I have to judge if he's right for my little sis" Edward stated smugly, ignoring the glare she shot him. "I'm only two minutes younger than you!" Eddy protested, picking up a pillow to throw at him.

**BBZZZZzzzzzttttt!**

It was the buzzer from the intercom by the door, the buzzer that would let visitors in the building. The twins looked at each other simultaneously, Edward grinning like a madman while Eddy glared darkly. "Don't you dare!" Eddy shrieked at him as they both lurched forwards at the same time, racing for the intercom. Edward got there first, just barely holding Eddy back from lunging at him by mashing his fist against her forehead.

"Is this Matt? I'll buzz you in" Edward stated to the intercom before pushing the button that would let Matt through the apartment complex's front door. With a chuckle, Edward released his grip on her as he tousled her hair. Eddy let out a loud, angry sigh and glared at her smirking twin in a slightly less than serious way.

"God, now you messed up my hair!" Eddy exclaimed exasperatedly before rushing back to the bathroom. "And you better not harass him when he gets here! Don't even speak two words to him!" She called warningly before shutting the door. She combed the thin blonde strands quickly before taking one last look at her appearance; Natural-looking makeup, hair loose, and looking dang good if she could say so herself.

"Now did you see where I put my bag last?" she asked as she came out of the bathroom, only to see Matt being questioned by Edward. "Ed!" she proclaimed, giving him a dirty look as she crossed her arms. "What did I say about harassing Matt?" she asked, and Edward sighed while Matt just looked from one sibling to the other.

"Fine, I'm done. Now go on and get out, I have to get ready for my audition" he stated and Eddy pouted, crossing her arms with a frustrated sigh. Edward crossed the room, fumbling around behind the couch and disregarding the two still standing there.

"But I can't find my—" Eddy began in a whine, but Edward interrupted her as he retrieved the army green messenger bag from behind the couch. "Thanks, Bro! Twin ESP sure comes in handy. Good luck on the audition!" Eddy said with a laugh and a smile before kissing her brother on the cheek and nudging Matt out the door.

The door shut solidly behind them. "So, your brother's an actor huh?" Matt commented as they began to walk down the hall. Matt had assumed as much, with all the talk about auditions and the fact that they were knee-deep in make or break LA. Eddy laughed lightly at his question.

"I suppose he is and actor… of sorts. He hasn't done anything serious as of yet, but his career is why we moved out here" she explained, looking amused at the fact and probably thinking of some family memory as she stared into space. The two reached the stair landing, Eddy's apartment was only on the second floor so the stairs would be quick work.

"We?" Matt prompted, looking a little confused. "Did you move out here with your brother alone?" Eddy's smile faltered at his question, but only a heartbeat before she was back to traipsing down the stairs. Matt blinked, and she was smiling at him again.

"Well, our parents were never very supportive of the arts. My mom's a lawyer and my dad's an accountant. When they heard that we both wanted to go to Art College, they had a fit and wouldn't give us any money unless it was towards a 'real' job. Mom thought Ed would be better as a politician and me a doctor" Eddy laughed, as if it were some inside joke, smiling up at Matt. "I will never have the brains to be a doctor" she commented before continuing. "Edward and I just sort of… disappeared after graduation, black sheep of the family you could say. I can't stand to be without my brother, so I decided to follow him to LA. I mean, I can sell comics anywhere, but Ed only has one chance—and that's here" she finished as they reached the last step of the stairs.

They stopped briefly as Eddy looked up at him with a sigh that said 'let's change the subject'. "What about you? What's your story?" She questioned and Matt turned, starting to walk towards the doorway. Eddy floundered for a moment before racing to meet him at the door. Matt was practically panicking; he couldn't just dismiss her question and change the subject away from himself. Even if she 'didn't have the brains' to be a doctor (he suspected she really meant 'enthusiasm' instead of 'brains'), she could very well see an avoidance tactic just the same. He had to say something, but it certainly wouldn't be the truth.

"Well I grew up in England" at least, it wouldn't be the whole truth anyway. Even if Matt wanted to tell her the whole story, Mello would most definitely have a _colossal_ fit. Probably involving Mello's gun, the term 'pistol-whip', and Matt's face. Then Mello'd probably snap his fingers and make a goon 'take care' of Eddy. It made Matt grimace just thinking about it.

"England, really? That's crazy! I went there one spring, it was a family vacation. Did you live in London?" Eddy was so excited that she hadn't even noticed the frown take his face, and Matt quickly replaced it with a soft smile at her antics. "You know, I thought you had a slight accent when you first spoke to me but it sounded more… American. Like northern, but weird—I guess that's the British part" She stated, tilting her head in thought and Matt laughed.

"I did live in London for awhile when I was young, but then I moved to a more rural town when I was assigned different… foster parents. I left when I was about 15, though. I came to New York, lived there for a few long years. Maybe I picked up a bit of an accent, if you say so. I got a job, and then here we are" Matt finished with a quirky smile at Eddy. She was looking up at him with big eyes as if he were an abused lost puppy she'd just found. "…stop that" he stated flatly, looking quickly away from those eyes.

"But aww! Poor Matty!" she cooed, hugging his side. Matt sighed exasperatedly. Why were orphans such a turn on for chicks? Mello had gotten several lays by using the 'my parents are dead' line. True, there was a certain mysterious-ness by not having a real 'origin', (In fact one of the thoughts that had soothed Matt at the time of his family's death was that he was now like Batman, which is just about as mysterious as you can get) But in the case of Eddy, he supposed it was her sympathy that was kicking in. While no one in their right mind hated being compared to Batman for anything, getting pity out of it was something Matt certainly did not consider an achievement.

"I'm fine" Matt stated, pulling her arms off him. Sometimes Matt wished he could pull of the mysterious side as well as Mello could. Batman was not someone to pity, and neither was Mello. "Anyway, let's get a move on. We're blocking people" Matt suggested, and Eddy looked around as if she'd forgotten they were standing on her apartment stoop unmoving.

"Uh, right. Where is this place you're taking me anyway?" Eddy asked, hopping down the steps two at a time and turning to wait for him at the bottom. "I told you on the phone, it's a secret" Matt said with a smirk as he glided down the steps and turned onto the sidewalk. "So a secret as in… you're not gunna tell me?" she asked, giving him puppy eyes as she caught up with his walking pace. "A secret as in; no I won't, and not even with those eyes" Matt said and flashed her a smile before taking a sharp left into the street. He stopped in front of a cherry red mustang, making Eddy's jaw gape open as he produced the keys for it from his pocket.

"T-this is your car?!" Eddy exclaimed in disbelief as Matt unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. "Are you really that surprised? I don't look that poor, do I?" he asked, feigning mock hurt. She slid into the black leather interior of the car "You do for a '60 beauty like this" she shot out before he closed the door. Matt couldn't help but smile at her statement as he went around to the other side of the car; so she was cute, a self-proclaimed comic nerd, _and_ she knew at least something about cars. Someone might just have to pinch him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, thank you all very much for the reviews! They help motivate me to write! Also, I have to apologize for the lack of updates lately on this story. It seems every time I try to write something bad happens; like, recently my computer crashed and I lost all of my programs and files that weren't on my flash drive. Good thing I'm paranoid and kept most things backed up, though.**

**--Thanks, Cart**

Eddy caressed the black leather of the seat, eyes darting around the car to take it all in. "Seriously, did you steal this?!" she asked, missing Matt's shocked expression as she eyed the expensive stereo. As soon as he realized Eddy wasn't asking him the question seriously, Matt managed to replace the smile on his face as he took a breath of relief. He shouldn't even be nervous about that, He'd switched the plates after he'd stolen it a long time ago in Nevada, and no one would even bat an eye.

"Ha-ha, very funny, now buckle up before we start going" Matt stated, lighting a cigarette. Eddy didn't move, only crossed her arms and fixed him with an icy stare. Combined with a few moments of silence, Matt shifted awkwardly under her gaze before he was forced to open his mouth. "Um, is something wrong?" he questioned, eyeing her with confusion.

She reached out, snatching the cigarette away from the redhead "Yes there is! One, you are not giving me second-hand smoke, and two, you are not making the interior of this baby smell like an ashtray" Eddy insisted, rolling down the window and tossing the cig out. Matt gave a long sigh, pouting as he took the cigarette pack out of his pocket and put it in the glove box. Well, of course Eddy couldn't be the _perfect _girl. "Hey, hey, don't get depressed!" Eddy exclaimed, an apologetic expression gracing her features. "Not tasting like an ashtray increases your chances of a goodbye kiss, you know" Eddy finished, blushing as she gave him a cheeky smirk. Matt couldn't help but grin at that.

He leaned closer to her "you don't say?" Matt commented, invading her personal space enough to make her _really_ blush. If Eddy could have opened her mouth, she would have stammered and stuttered, but the only thing she was capable of now was playing the jaws theme in her head as the boy loomed closer. He was smirking at her, further debilitating her as she glanced down to survey his lips. Matt reached behind her head and--

**Click**

The sound was small, but was enough to make Eddy realize what he had been doing. "You jerkface!" she exclaimed, shoving a hysterically laughing Matt back into his own seat. "I can put on a seatbelt _without_ your help, thanks!" Eddy squealed, feigning angry but the smile plastered on her face was a dead giveaway along with her bright red blush. Matt slipped on his own belt with a click, still laughing as the car purred to life.

"Well it seemed to me that—since I already told you once to put it on—that you were confused as to how it worked" Matt said in a 'got you!' sort of tone. Eddy rolled her eyes, saying nothing, but punching him in the arm lightly. Matt pulled out into the street easily, the lunch hour traffic being long gone and the rush hour traffic far from starting. "Oh, and 'jerkface'? really?" he chided, glancing at her as she blushed again and crossed her arms.

"Oh shut up and show me this 'secret' place of yours already" Eddy countered, looking out the window as the people on the sidewalk rushed by.

They came to a stop in front of a brick vacant-looking building and Eddy gave him a questionable look, at which Matt simply smiled. "Come on, trust me. Let's go" he stated, stepping out of the car before walking over to the passenger side and opening the door for her. She was skeptical, to say the least, as she stepped out of the car and onto the uneven pavement of the sidewalk. But when she looked up at the goggled redhead, poorly hiding his excitement with a goofy grin, Eddy couldn't help but feel at ease. Surely Matt would never intentionally bring her into harm's way: Eddy had trouble imagining him putting _anyone _in harm's way for that matter.

It was with relinquished determination that Eddy stood and began following Matt towards the entrance of the building. "Stay close, okay?" Matt stated with a grin, wrapping an arm around her waist and opening the door before Eddy could ask what he was going on about.

The loud techno music shocked her for a moment, but the soft blue-ish glows emanating from down the hall made her more interested than irritated. Just what was this place? "Hey! Guys, look who's back!" A loud male voice rang out and Eddy turned to see a guy and a group of three others dressed in what one could only call 'raver' clothes. Eddy looked at Matt, who gave the guy a simple nod before attempting to tread further into the building; but a girl with neon-braided hair stopped him.

"Hey, Haptic! Who's your friend?" the girl asked, her bright tone turning to one of disapproval when she looked at Eddy. Unconsciously, Eddy shrunk back from the strange girl. Where had Matt taken her? And why the hell was this girl calling him 'Haptic'?

Matt gave the girl a smile with thinly-veiled annoyance. "This is Eddy, I'm showing her around. Eddy, this is Tammy" Matt said, the grin that bloomed across his face as he looked at Eddy was enough to renew her confidence and Eddy gave the girl a small smile and offered a hand to shake.

"Oh, that explains it. I won't keep you from showing the noob what's up" Tammy said, frowning at Eddy and ignoring her handshake, instead retreating back to her group of friends. Eddy raised a brow after the girl and looked up at Matt, about to ask him just exactly what _that_ was about, but the words died in her throat when she saw his face. He was glaring after the girl, his eyes snapping in a way that made Eddy shiver, and the action brought Matt's focus back to her.

"Sorry about her, she's just one of the bitches that hang around here. Don't let her get you down, you're with me and we're gunna have some fun" Matt said, and by the time he finished the snapping in his eyes was replaced with a happy grin. Eddy nodded silently and allowed herself to look around at the LED displays and raver gear that lined the hallway as Matt guided her closer to the blue-ish glow at the end of the hall. The more things she saw, the curiouser Eddy got about the place that Matt seemed to frequent as a second home; almost everyone they passed knew Matt, but seldom called him anything but 'Haptic'.

Finally, they reached the room that was emanating the blue glow. Eddy gasped aloud at the vast majority of monitors that lined the room, displaying various games which were mostly group games like guitar hero or DDR. "Wow" Eddy remarked in awe, the place was larger than the arcade she occasionally wasted time at. There was also a surprising amount of people, it almost resembled a convention with the sheer capacity and multitude of games and gamers. "So this is your secret, huh?" Eddy asked Matt, who was grinning goofily from ear to ear.

"Nope, this isn't it. We're almost there though" Matt said with a smile before waving at a group of people who had loudly proclaimed 'Haptic!'. Eddy felt like Matt was some sort of celebrity here, literally everyone knew him by what she guessed was his gaming alias. It certainly made Eddy see him in a new light. He didn't seem like such a normal programmer/casual gamer anymore. Eddy was suddenly awake of how little she knew about Matt, and it was making her feel nervous.

None-the-less, she followed him down the stairs at the back of the room and they passed another level of gamers; this time the blue glow came from computer monitors. The next floor down was full of old school arcade games, but still they went lower. It was hard to believe it was still afternoon outside with all of the darkness in the gaming building. They finally reached the last door that had previously been marked with 'employees only', but a decorative 'Lounge' was now spray-painted over most of it. "you're gunna love this, trust me" Matt said, pushing the door open as he gave her another smile.

The room mostly belonged to a large dance floor with blinking tiles that Eddy thought had gone out of style in the disco era, but somehow the chic interior made it feel edgy and modern. There was a lot of flashing neon and black lights and it took her a moment to realize that behind all the dancers there was a large bar on one side of the wall. The techno music was far louder in the lounge than any other part of the building and Matt had to lean in close to her ear so that she could hear what he was saying.

"Let's get a table! I dunno if you're a fan of dancing, but we can after we eat. If you'd like" Matt declared, giving her a soft smile. Eddy was starting to get the feeling that Matt had never taken another girl into this underbelly gaming hideaway before, it was like he was showing her his hiding place, and it certainly made her feel special.

Eddy couldn't help but smile as she spoke "Lead the way, Romeo" Eddy said, making Matt chuckle before grabbing her hand and guiding her through the crowd of dancing people before choosing a booth next to the bar on the other side of the lounge.

"So" Matt began as they sat down, "What do you think? This is pretty much gaming nerd central in LA… From what people have said, that is" Matt was smiling widely at her, not bothering to hide the fact that he was excited to hear what she thought of the gaming building.

Eddy sunk into the booth, tearing her eyes away from the crazy techno dancers and towards Matt's face instead. "Well this place is certainly different, but not bad different" Eddy said, quickly changing the subject so she could ask the questions that were burning in the back of her head. "How do you know about it anyway? For someone new to town, this place seems really secretive for you to find. And why is everyone calling you 'Haptic'? You're not just a casual gamer, are you?" Eddy asked, rapid fire.

Matt laughed almost nervously "Yeah, I pretty much play all the time, in fact hanging out with you is probably the most time I've ever spent not playing a game. A lot of people online talk about this place, and since I'm basically awesome incarnate I knew where it was--and the people here know me. Err… Well they know me as 'Haptic', which is my… gaming alias" Matt explained, his pause making Eddy wonder but she decided to ignore it for now. He'd answered enough of her questions.

"So you're like royalty aren't you?" Eddy asked, kidding of course, but the nod that she received from Matt didn't shock her all the same. "Oh I feel like Cinderella" She stated with a giggle before smiling at the redhead. "But anyway, if you really want to dance I'm gunna need a few drinks first" Eddy said, flagging down a waiter.

* * *

Eddy felt awkward in the sea of people, it seemed that everyone else was moving in synch with the beat in a giant pulsating mob. That is, except for her. Even with the few drinks in her system, Eddy's horrible dancing was obvious and she was blushing brightly.

"You okay?" Matt basically had to shout in her ear in order to be heard over the music. He was eyeing her blushing face curiously as well as smirking at her dance moves. Eddy tried to swallow down her embarrassment; she never really went outside of the apartment unless it was to go to work or the comic book store, so learning any nightclub dancing was out of the question. She was a hermit at best.

Eddy gave Matt a lopsided smile "the last time I can remember dancing was learning how to waltz in cotillion" she stated, leaning in close to his ear with a fresh blush and uneasy laugh.

The redhead was giving her a shocked look. "You went to cotillion school? I would have never pegged you for putting up with that… Do you even know how to really dance?" Matt asked casually, eyes sparkling as he imagined the tomboy Eddy clothed in a billowy ball gown.

"Well I'm…trying right now I guess. Unlike you, Mr. Haptic, I don't go out" Eddy said, trying to ease the nervousness she was feeling, but if anything it got worse as Matt put his hands on her hips. Her heart raced and her lungs stopped functioning for a second before Matt's hot breath landed on her ear.

"you're not even moving with the beat" Matt chuckled. Eddy was feeling extremely lightheaded now, due to the combination of Matt's proximity to her and his gloved hands holding her hips. She was speechless. "You have to feel it and go along with it, don't try to fight it. Like this" Matt was gently directing her hips into a side-to-side movement that harmonized with the fast techno song and Eddy was dumbly consenting as she tried to desperately focus on not passing out. The last person to touch her so intimately was her Ex-boyfriend and the thought of Matt touching her in those ways was enough to make her head spin. Distantly, Eddy decided that she'd definitely made the right call to give her number to the strange redhead. "Earth to Eddy, c'mon! Follow through, let the rest of your body move" Matt directed with a wide grin as she jumped out of her thoughts.

Eddy swung her hips, Matt's hands still resting there and kept the two of them close as she began to move her arms in what she hoped was to the rhythm of the beat. The nodding she was getting from Matt as well as his grin gave her confidence and Eddy loosened the tension from her body and fell into the song. With Matt as a guide, she stopped thinking about how to move and started letting herself dance with him in a way that felt purely natural; a way that made them seem so connected together.

She felt herself once again catch Matt's infectious grin and slip into enjoyment; yes, she'd definitely made the right call.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the patience with my updates, I know that theirs always so much distance between them! Thanks + Enjoy, Cart**

Vrrrr Vrrrrr Vrrrrr

Eddy groaned to herself as something vibrated, then fell with a clunk to the floor. She heard someone curse before the bed shifted beside her, the weight leaving her side and to the edge to retrieve the fallen object. A cell phone was flipped open, and then a small ringing echoed through the room from the other end of the line. Twice it sounded before someone picked up.

"_Where the fuck are you? What the hell were you thinking staying out all night?" _Mello growled.

"Err… sorry, I didn't think I would be" Matt didn't bother telling Mello to calm down, because he wouldn't. Either way, there would be a lecture for Matt; now or later, it didn't matter. That's why he'd decided to call Mello back now, at least that way he couldn't shoot him over the phone.

A long sigh, Mello's annoyed sigh; he was probably pressing his thumb and forefinger against his temples_. "Just tell me one thing, what the hell have you been doing?"_

Should he tell? No, Mello wouldn't accept a girl as his excuse. To Mello, girls were 3 hours use at the most. Matt was silent only for a moment, but a moment was all it took for Mello to let out another one of his sighs.

"_Whatever it was, it better have been worth it. Get your ass back here now; I have a job for you to do" _Mello's tone was cold and icy. It was the only thing about Mello that could ever show that he was hurt.

He slammed the phone down on the bedside table. If Mello wanted to be a bitch about Matt spending one night out of the hideout, then fine. Maybe it was time for Mello to feel left out, instead of the other way around for once.

"Matt?" Eddy asked, groggily as she sat up and rubbed her head. She put the pieces together quickly and she hurriedly looked under the covers, thankfully she was still in her clothes from last night. "What? We didn't uhh… y-you know, right?" she stammered, nervously glancing at Matt.

His cheeks were bright red and the tips of his ears too as he spoke "No, we didn't. You got sort of tipsy and passed out in the car on the way back, so I brought you here. I didn't try anything, I promise" Matt finished as Eddy smiled at him lightly. He ran a hand through his hair before he continued, "But, listen… I have to go. I just got a work call and I have to go into the office"

"Your boss sounds like a total ass then, by the way" Eddy stated, wiping her eyes and stretching as she moved to the window to draw back the curtains. As she looked outside she stopped her joking demeanor. "We're in Delare?" She questioned, turning to him with her eyebrows knotted in confusion.

He placed his phone in his pocket, and replaced his goggled on his head. "Yep. I didn't want your brother to be mad at me if he saw you passed out, although in retrospect, he probably is mad at me since you didn't come home…" Matt stopped as he turned and saw her blank face. "What is it?" He asked, stopping his ministrations and crossing the room to her.

"Nothing, really… its just… you spent money on a hotel room, just for a few hours? I know the Delare isn't the ritziest hotel but... wasn't it expensive still?" She questioned, concerned. She didn't finish her thoughts out loud, _why couldn't you take me to your place?_

Matt's face faltered before he gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it; I get paid more than you think" he stated briskly, locating his boots by the door before sitting on the bed to lace them up. "Now what do you think, pancakes for breakfast before I drop you off?"

Eddy gave him a smile and nod, hoping that he couldn't tell she was uneasy. Matt was lying to her, about what she didn't know, but she could just feel it in the way he looked away when he spoke. There was that and… _What the hell were you thinking staying out all night?_ …that was something a boss would never say, right? And then there was the hotel, why spend any money at all rather than going to his apartment? He'd said the first time that they met that he lived close… Was he afraid that was too serious? Maybe it was just messy…

She cleared her throat. "Um, actually Matt, I forgot I have to work today. I better get down to the diner… it's already eight" She quickly gathered her shoes and her phone from the bedside table.

Matt stopped in the middle of tying his second boot. "Hold on a second, I'll drive you" He said, but she was already at the door.

"In this traffic? I'll get there faster on foot, trust me." She paused at the door and gave him a fleeting look. "Have fun at work, ok?" she said and then she was out the door, Matt scrambled after her, barely catching a flash of her turning the corner down the hall.

"I'll call you!" Matt shouted after her, then immediately felt like an idiot from some cheesy movie. She'd bailed on him, and she'd bailed quickly. Either he was completely losing his intuition about women, or she had been interested in him. _Had_ being the operative word, how had she lost it so fast? Matt sighed and flopped back down on the bed, finishing his boot lacing before grabbing his keys from the table. He had work to think about now anyway.

Eddy stopped running once the turned the street corner and leaned against a newspaper box to catch her breath. Jesus, that ditching had been painfully obvious. Oh, I have to work, bye! Stupid. Still, she couldn't take another relationship with a liar; especially if he had started this early. She just kept telling herself that it was the right thing to do, even if last night had been fun. Fun couldn't be enough for anything substantial, and if it didn't have a chance for serious, why bother anymore? _Dating is such a hassle_, she thought, _I should just become one of those spinsters with fifty cats._

She checked the clock on her phone; if she ran the next block she could make a shower and catch the subway just on time for work. Really, she didn't even feel like going. Pancakes sounded so much better.

Matt had been surprised when Mello announced that he was briefing him about the job over breakfast. He was even more surprised when they ended up at a regular homey diner; Matt was half expecting a biker bar or a seedy strip club. Something like that seemed much more like Mello's style. "You're not going to eat anything?" Matt asked after the blonde didn't so much as glance at the menu.

"I already know what I want. Chocolate-chip pancakes. They make the best ones, without any non-fat crap like most of the places here" Mello stated. That explained it.

"Gee, what can I get you hard-working boys today?" The voice was loaded with sarcasm and Matt nearly had a heart attack as he looked up from the description of smiley-face pancakes. It was Eddy. Shit. It was Eddy. Matt could feel himself beginning to sweat as he glanced from Mello to Eddy, any other chance to run into her and question her about this morning would have been great. But now? Fate had to have some deep-running resentment towards him.

"Chocolate milk and chocolate pancakes. And bring me some chocolate syrup on the side, too" Mello stated, Eddy eying his outfit questionably as she scribbled down the order on her pad. Matt was definitely developing an embolism as Eddy turned to him with a dark glare, placing a hand on her hip. He barely even had time to appreciate how cute she looked in the plain black apron.

"What about you?" She asked flatly, giving him the same look that she gave the comic shop owner the first time they met. It was significantly less amusing when it was focused on him. Matt gulped, crossing his fingers that she wouldn't mention anything about the two of them in front of Mello, as he scanned the menu.

Matt randomly chose something that sounded acceptable, he felt to nervous to eat anything now anyway. "The sausage English muffin with hash browns please" He rattled off, shifting in his chair under her scrutiny.

"We're out of sausage. We were supposed to get a shipment this morning, but our delivery boy said he had another job to do this morning and totally ditched us" She stated coldly and Matt frowned at her. She ditched him herself, hell, she had literally ran out of the hotel. Sure, he had gotten a call about a job first, but he'd volunteered to buy breakfast. Women.

"You know, that's perfectly fine. Even if you don't want to work, you gotta have money to pay the rent" Matt stated.

"Oh yeah, it certainly _looks_ like he's doing work alright!" she crossed her arms at him. "You are unbelievable! If you didn't want to—" he decided to cut her off before she said anything stupid.

"I'll take the egg English muffin" he stated evenly, closing the menu before pushing it in her face. If looks could kill, Matt was pretty sure he would have been hamburger meat by now. Eddy snatched the menu out of his hand and turned without another word, heading towards the kitchen.

Matt sighed and then took a nervous glance at Mello, who was looking very confused. "What he hell was that about?" Mello narrowed his eyes at him "do you know her?" Matt smiled at him as he took out his DS from his back pocket.

"Of course I don't. She must just be having a bad morning or something" Matt said with a shrug, about to turn on his DS before Mello grabbed it out of his hands.

"Don't start that again. I want your full attention when I tell you about this job. Besides, I have no doubt you were at some stupid gaming challenge all night so you aren't getting this back today" Matt frowned at Mello's words but did no effort to correct him. Let him think what he wanted, even if it meant losing his lovely DS for the day.

"So, tell me what I have to do" Matt stated, crossing his arms at the blonde.

"I need a few things in order to get the notebook, so I want you to work on getting a helicopter. Theirs a Boeing manufacturing plant just outside of the city that you can retrieve one from. We have to have it by next week, so you better get moving." Mello paused and eyed him seriously. "No more pissing around this week, get it done" Matt would have replied, had Eddy not re-appeared at the table.

"Here we are" Eddy stated, handing Mello some pancakes that couldn't have been drenched in more chocolate. She turned to Matt "Bon appétit" she said smugly, dropping a plate of clearly burned food in front of him with a smirk.

Matt could feel Mello bristling beside him, when Mello was annoyed he always looked for a fight. The redhead's absence had already clearly annoyed him, and now the waitress giving Matt seemingly undeserved lip was really starting to push Mello. _Shit_, Matt thought, the last thing he needed now was a tantrum from Mello.

Eddy turned to leave, but Mello grabbed her wrist and sharply stopped her. _Shit!_ Matt thought again. "What the hell is your problem?" Mello growled, forcibly spinning Eddy around to face the table as he gestured with his other hand towards Matt's plate.

Eddy's face hadn't lost its stubbornness yet. "My **problem** would be your asshole friend. Now let me go or I swear to god I'm going to knock that scowl off of your girly face" Matt's eyes were wide as he stared at Mello. She'd just hit two sore subjects at once; Mello hated it when people took the lord's name in vain, but more than that he hated when people referred to _anything_ about him as girly. Matt gripped the table as he battled what to do, defend Eddy or try to stop Mello's reaction?

"You stupid bitch" Mello growled, his temper flaring as he yanked her wrist, drawing her close to his face so no one else could hear. Eddy's face had lost its anger, instead filled with surprise and a bit of fear as Mello began to speak again. "Do you even know who you're talking to? Unless you want me to shoot you right here, you better shut that mouth of yours and give us some respect" As he spoke, Eddy's eyes traveled down to the inch of gun that Mello was exposing and her face turned ashen. When the blonde let her go, she stumbled for a minute, glancing from Mello to Matt with an expression that made Matt's chest hurt.

Eddy turned quickly, briskly walking back to the kitchen as a few curious patrons looked from Mello to the waitress questionably. "You didn't have to do that" Matt stated with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Mello was cutting his pancakes calmly as if nothing had happened.

"She should have known to give you respect, mafia member or not Matt, my best friend deserves respect" Mello stated, giving him a rare assurance of their friendship. But for once it didn't make Matt smile, only glance back at the kitchen nervously.

A different waitress came back to give Matt an un-charred English muffin, but all he could do was shove it around his plate. He certainly didn't have any sort of an appetite now. When Mello finished, they both headed out to the headquarters so that Mello could make sure Matt was going to start on the job. All he really wanted to do was go back to the diner to explain.


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is pretty talking oriented, but I hope you all like it still. Thanks for all the reviews+Favs guys. –Luv, Cart**

It had been two days since the incident at the diner and plenty of time for Matt to think about Eddy. The minute Mello had loosened Matt's leash, the redhead had hurried straight out of the headquarters and to Eddy's apartment. Matt had buzzed to be let in, but no one answered so he waited until he could follow an old lady with a key through the doors. That was how he'd ended up outside Eddy's apartment door, knocking determinedly and trying to think of how to get her to talk to him again.

"Matt" Edward said, an angry look on his face as he opened the door wide before leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed. Matt froze, he hadn't planned for a course of action should Edward answer the door. Damn. "Eddy didn't tell me what you did, asshole, but I'm smart enough to know it wasn't good. So I'm going to say it plainly; I don't like you. Stay away from my apartment, and stay the hell away from my sister" he finished, moving to slam the door, but Matt caught the door with one hand before he could shut it all the way.

"Wait! Don't…just listen, okay? Give me a chance to explain" Matt sputtered out, feeling exhausted. This wasn't turning out the way he'd thought it would at all.

"I don't need your bullshit excuse. My sister has dated a jerk before, and I'm not letting her date another one. You've already hurt her enough" Edward growled, pushing him away from the door.

"Wait, wait! I'm not one of those guys, I swear!" Edward paused in closing the door and Matt saw his chance, continuing quickly. "Things just got mixed up, I would never hurt Eddy! She's beautiful and intelligent and funny and I really, really like her! I just need a chance to explain to her. I don't want to mess this up with a misunderstanding, because I think it might have a chance of becoming something more. Just give me the chance to explain" Matt finished, his quick speech nearly leaving him panting.

He stared at Edward, the blonde's face stoic and cold before he sighed and the tension disappeared. "Look, I love my sister and I want what is best for her. Before you did whatever you did, you made her happier than I've seen her in a long time. I don't know what's going on, but I can promise you that if you make her cry I'll beat the shit out of you" Edward said seriously. "She's at the diner for another two hours, you can probably make it there in thirty if you hurry… that's when her break starts" Edward finished.

Matt grinned "Thank you so much. You wont regret it, I swear" him quickly before running down the hall towards the stairs.

"You better fix it!" Edward yelled after him and Matt heard the door close just as he rounded the corner before tromping down the stairs. He jumped in the mustang, taking it a few streets before the traffic jammed up and he decided to park along the street and walk the last block. He rushed inside the diner quickly, finally slowing down when he was met with a strange look from a waitress he nearly ran into. "Do you know where I can find Eddy?" he questioned the waitress, her tag reading Sherry.

"Eddy French? She's in the kitchen, but—" Matt cut her off with a thanks before rushing towards the door marked 'kitchen', ignoring her shout of "wait! You can't go back there!"

The fry cook glared at him darkly "What the hell are you doing back here, boy?" the middle-aged gruff man growled at him. Matt shuffled his feet and offered a tentative smile before opening his mouth to give some-sort of explanation, but a voice interrupted him.

"It's okay Danny, I know him" Matt turned, and there was Eddy leaning against the sink. The dark rings under her eyes and her slouch made it evident that she was exhausted. Her plain green tank top and dark skinny jeans were wrinkled, but she wasn't wearing an apron, so Matt guessed she was already on break.

Danny's gruff voice dragged Matt out of his observations as he spoke "Eddy, take it outside. I don't want some random guy back here. What if an inspector showed up at his very minute?" the man said, gesturing to the metal doors intended for deliveries. They walked outside in silence and stood a minute before Eddy spoke up first, with her eyes on the ground and her arms crossed.

"I don't want to talk to you" Eddy stated, in what was supposed to be a firm tone. It would have convinced him if it wasn't for the way her voice slightly shook, like how anyone's voice does if they're about to cry.

Matt looked at her desperately, even if she wouldn't meet his eyes "I know, I just want to explain to you. If you still don't want anything to do with me after that, I swear you'll never see me again. I promise" Matt said, a long pause drawing out between them. "I'm not a bad guy" Matt stated and Eddy scoffed before he could continue.

"I'm not an idiot. Your friend had a gun. He threatened me. You're obviously involved in some serious shit, Matt" she said, every word sounding pissed except for his name. She still refused to look at him and he took a step toward her, only succeeding in making her back up.

The redhead sighed loudly. "You're completely right" Matt stated solemnly and Eddy looked up in shock, finally meeting his eyes. "But it looks so much worse than it is. I'm a good guy, I swear. I mean, I did lie to you—" Matt cut himself off in exasperation as Eddy turned her back to him angrily. "But it was just about my job! I had too! I'm not supposed to tell anyone the truth! Hell, I'm probably going to get shot once my boss figures out I actually care about something besides work!" he advanced towards her, raising his voice so much that he was practically yelling. She was still staring at the wall and Matt wanted to grab her shoulders, spin her around, and hug her tight. Instead, he dug his fingernails into his palms and took a deep breath to calm down.

"So, you came here to explain to me that you can't explain anything to me? You're wasting your time. I don't want any part of whatever the hell you're doing. Even if it's any less bad than I think it is, it's still pretty damn bad" she finished, her crossed arms turning into her clutching her upper arms tightly.

Matt let out another sigh. "I wish I could explain, but I can't right now. Not here, at least. More than anything, I came here to tell you how much I really like you. And how much I was having fun with you, and how much I don't want that to end like this. Just give me a second chance. I'll wait until after your shift, I can take you back to your place and explain to you there. I'll explain everything, I swear. Answer any of your questions" Matt finished, eyeing her back hopefully.

She turned and looked at him, her face confused. "Why should I trust you that much?" she questioned, her anger seeping out until she just looked exhausted again. Matt was surprised when she let him hold her hand between both of his.

"I don't know. Because you really like me too?" Matt asked hopefully, giving her a nervous smile.

She sighed, looking down at his hands before she gently pried hers from his grip and turned away from him. "I get off of my shift in an hour" she stated before disappearing inside. Matt beamed with relief.

She met him outside just as he was finishing up a cigarette and he stubbed it out with his boot quickly. "You should quit that, you know" she stated, putting on a light blue and black striped cardigan.

"I know" he said, with a small smile. He held out his hand and she took it, even if holding hands was such a simple thing, he was glad for it. "I had to park a block over cause of the traffic" he explained as they started walking in the direction of the mustang. He was reminded of the first time they met, and when he gave her a walk home. Conversation had been so easy for them then, but it certainly wasn't now.

The walk to the car and the ride to her apartment were filled with silence. As they walked up the stairs, Edward caught them on the landing. "Hey sis… Matt" he was still giving Matt the steely big-brother look, obviously knowing that things weren't solved between the two. "I'm going grocery shopping, call me if you need anything" Edward said to Eddy, who reassured her brother with a smile and nod. As Edward continued on, they swam in silence again. Even the jingle of Eddy's keys as she opened the door was welcome.

She flicked on the lights and shut the door behind Matt before taking off her cardigan, striding into the kitchen as she did so. "Do you want some coffee?" she asked and Matt smiled at her.

"Sure… um, do you mind if I check your apartment for bugs?" he asked, and Eddy turned from throwing away an old coffee filter to give him a strange look. "Bugs, as in small recording devices. I know it seems ridiculous, but I don't want to take chances with what I'm about to say" Matt said and Eddy sighed before going back to preparing the coffee.

"Knock yourself out" Eddy stated, eyes on the ground coffee she was measuring. After a short hunt for bugs, Matt and Eddy both sat on the couch with their coffee. Matt blew on his coffee before looking up and realizing Eddy was waiting for him to start.

"Okay" Matt began, setting his mug on the coffee table. "First off, that blonde guy that threatened you is my best friend. He's kind of an asshole, but I love him… even if he does have a really bad temper. You shouldn't take that threat personally, he threatens everyone. I mean, not that he wouldn't have done it, but…" Matt said, catching her eye and realizing that he probably wasn't helping the situation. "Anyway, he's my best friend but he's also my boss. We're in the middle of this big project and I'm his go-to guy. He can't stand 'distractions', so I didn't tell him about you. He wouldn't understand. And I should have told him, then that never would have happened... I'm really sorry about that… and how much it must have scared you"

She held up her hand as if waiting to be called on at school, and when he nodded at her, she began questioning him. "What kind of work do you really do? What's this project?" she asked, looking more confused than ever.

"Well, I really am a programmer… just… more of a hacker than a programmer. I do things for Mello like getting information, or money, or cars. Getting him past security, scrambling police… whatever needs to be done, really. Usually I'm just behind a computer screen, though" Matt finished. He could tell that she wanted him to explain more. "Okay, we… you can't tell anyone about this. Not even your brother. Do you understand?" Matt asked.

"Come on, it's not like your killing anyone…" she said, before pausing at his stoic expression. "Okay, fine. I promise I won't tell a single soul, not even Ed"

Matt sighed before beginning again. "Mello took over the LA mafia" Eddy nearly chocked on her coffee before dropping the mug on the floor and jumping up off the couch.

"YOU MEAN, YOURE IN THE—" she stopped yelling as Matt hurriedly jumped up and clamped his hand over her mouth. He didn't suspect the walls were anything near soundproof. She struggled against him, but Matt wrapped his arms around her tight until she stood still. She was shaking and starting to cry, trying to scream through his hand. It made him feel awful.

"Ssh, ssh, stop it. Calm down and I'll let you go. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I just don't want you to yell. It's okay" he said in a soothing tone, holding her close. She was completely still, and she'd stopped trying to yell. You're going to be quiet once I let you go, right?" Matt asked, and she nodded tearfully.

He helped her back to the couch and sat her down before he let go of her mouth, crouching in front of her and wiping at her eyes with his hand. "I don't understand, Matt. You said that you weren't a bad guy. I-if your in the mafia… you should just go. Leave me alone. I promise I won't tell anyone. Just please don't hurt me" Eddy blubbered, her words making his chest hurt.

"Listen to me, Eddy. I don't want to hurt you. I would never hurt you. I really am a good guy. Theirs a reason Mello took over the mafia. We're not evil, Eddy" Matt explained gently, wiping the rest of the tears from her face and holding her chin, making her look at him as he finished. "We did it so that we could have a chance at killing Kira" Eddy's face was pure shock.

"W-what?" she stammered, eyes wide. "The Japanese guy? The one that kills criminals just by knowing their name?" she asked and Matt nodded. "But why? I mean, I know that Kira is evil, but why would you guys go after him yourself? That's the police's job. That's what the SPK is for" Eddy said.

Matt sighed. "Yes, I know. It's all Mello's idea really… it's hard to explain, but the head of the SPK and Mello have been rivals since they were very young. We all used to go to school together and Mello hater Ne—him, because he always came out first in grades before Mello" Matt explained as Eddy furrowed her brows.

"But that doesn't make any sense. If you went to school together, then that SPK guy is like 19 years old! To graduate that early and get a job, you would have had to gone to some kind of genius school…" Eddy trailed off, jaw open as she stared at Matt. "W-wait, you're famous in the underground gaming community because you're such a good hacker, aren't you? That's why everyone knew who you were that time… so you… are you really a genius?" Matt was smiling at her shocked face.

"Pretty much I guess… at least with computers and technology. By the way, the head of the SPK is a lot younger than me and Mello" he finished and Eddy gaped at him, opening and closing her mouth for a few seconds.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth, though?" Eddy questioned and Matt rolled his eyes at her.

"Do you have a computer?" he asked with a grin.

She smiled "Not about that, how do I know you're really just in it for Kira?" she paused, blushing slightly. "I just don't want to get any more involved with you if I can't be sure who you really are. I know you're a nice guy… but I dated a nice guy once and he turned out to be a liar. I don't ever want to go through that again. It's not that I think badly of you. It's just hard to trust you" Eddy explained. Matt sighed and got up from the floor, sitting next to her on the couch.

"I guess I deserve that. I did lie to you in a big way…" Matt said and sighed before running a hand through his hair. He turned to Eddy, "All I can tell you is to trust me. I understand that that's a hard thing to do for you, but I'll do anything I can to make it easier" he finished, giving her an earnest smile.

Eddy grinned at him "Well, you already started by letting me into your life. And, um" she began to blush again. "Does this mean that we're officially a couple?" she asked, and Matt laughed before throwing an arm around her.

"Jesus, I hope so" he said with another chuckle, and Eddy beamed up at him.

"Good!" she said happily, "That means I can do this—" she cut herself off as she leaned up and pressed her lip's to Matt's. He smiled against her lips before quickly reciprocating, his arms encircling her waist and bringing her closer to him on the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all very much for the reviews! They help motivate me to write! Also, I have to apologize once again for the lack of updates. Everything in my life has just been a landside of chaos lately. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**-Luv, Cart**

"The zombies! The zombies are coming!" Eddy wailed, ducking and squirming in Matt's lap as he chuckled at her over-reaction.

"Calm down! Remember what I told you?" Matt said, furiously moving his fingers on the controller. Headshot.

Eddy ducked as a zombie tried to grab her character on the screen. "Noo! Ahh! Theyre gunna get me! I'm no good at this, Matt save meee!" Eddy squealed, her fingers stumbling over the controls and only succeeding in giving her side of the split screen a clear view of the sky. She jerked her controller up as her character ran, cutting off Matt's vision and forcing him to lean around her to play.

"Ugh! Stop running away and maybe I could save you! Whatever you do, just don't go near the-" Matt cut himself off as Eddy stumbled into the hunter zombie's path and was tackled, exactly what he was going to caution her not to do.

Eddy flailed "Noooo! Bitch! Stop! I cant do anything! Motherfucker! Maaaatt! Hellllp!" Eddy said rapidly before suddenly halting all movement with a loud groan. "Aww! I'm dead! Dammit!" she said with a pout, dropping her controller to the couch.

"sorry, if I wasn't so preoccupied with the other zombies from the car alarm you started, then I could have saved you" Matt said with a chuckle at her pouting face. Eddy crossed her arms, getting up from Matt's lap and striding across the room to the kitchen.

"whatever, I told you I'm no good at games anyway" came Eddy's muffled voice from inside the fridge.

Matt smiled as he paused the game, standing and stretching before going into the kitchen area's of Eddy's apartment and leaning on the counter. "I know, but I like playing with you. Plus, you're really cute when you're frustrated and shouting expletives" Matt said with a grin and Eddy closed the fridge, turning to him shyly with a small smile and blush.

"Shut up, Romeo" she teased, walking over to him and kissing his cheek. "are you hungry?" she asked, looking up at him with a smile as her arms encircled his neck.

"eh, I could go for something. What do you have?" he asked, referring to her look in the fridge.

"theirs nothing here I feel like eating, though… how about we go out for Chinese?" she asked hopefully, her eyes sparkling up at him.

"sounds great, babe" Matt stated with a grin. It had been a week, give or take, since the big fight/misunderstanding/truth coming out thing; and if Matt could say so himself, they were doing wonderfully. Things were a little uneasy at first, but slowly things stepped into a rhythm. They spent most of their time with each other, and if they were apart they were probably texting. Something which only made things harder since he still hadn't told Mello about Eddy, but he needed to do it soon. Mello was already a bit suspicious about the texts he kept getting, since Matt never had much of a social life. It was just hard to figure out what words to use to tell Mello, what to say in order to make him understand.

"come on!" Eddy urged from the doorway, a light blue cardigan added to her previous ensemble of a black tank top and cutoff jean shorts. Matt slipped on his boots and quickly tied them as she slipped on her sandals by the door. "Have I ever taken you to the Chinese Dragon? It has the best food, I swear" Eddy chatted, Matt nodding a 'no' as both of them went out the door before she turned and locked it behind them. As soon as she turned the key she paused and patted her pockets. "Oh no! I forgot my phone!" she said in dismay, regretting unlocking the door.

Matt grabbed her hand with a chuckle, tugging her along the hall as he placed her cell phone in the other. "I swear, if I didn't hold your hand so much I think you would forget that I'm your boyfriend" he teased, making her blush lightly before she stuck her tongue out at him.

"It does feel good to say, though, doesn't it?" Eddy asked with a shy smile as they began to decend down the stairs.

Matt was confused "What? Are you admitting that you're a scatterbrain?" he joked again.

She giggled at him "no! The other thing" she paused, becoming more serious as she glanced at him sweetly. "Saying you're my boyfriend, it feels good to say, huh?" she asked playfully.

Matt felt his face warm up and felt stupid for blushing at such a simple thing. "Hell yeah it does. I'm lucky I could snatch up such a cute little nerdy girl" he said with humor in his voice, although he was completely serious.

Eddy smacked his arm playfully as they went through the apartment doors and outside to the sidewalk. "You're the nerd, gamer-boy" she said with a grin.

"Completely. But you are too. And I love it" he stated simply. "We're perfect for each other. We've gotta be the cutest nerd-couple in LA" he said jokingly with a chuckle, looking down at her.

Eddy was blushing fiercely. "T-t-this is it" she stuttered as she stopped suddenly in front of the Chinese Dragon, almost forgetting where it was. Matt gave her an odd look and, wordlessly, they stepped inside.

_Why am I blushing like an idiot just because of that?_ Eddy thought, nervously clenching her fists as the waitress led them to a table. _Because of what he said… "we're perfect for each other",_ She repeated in her thoughts _He was joking, he always is… but just by saying it… he made my heart skip a beat. _she paused in her thought_ maybe… theirs a chance he wasn't kidding? _Eddy shook her head and concentrated on quelling her blush and washing the nervousness from herself.

"so, what are you gunna order?" Matt asked as they were seated, a menu in his hand.

"oh, I always get the orange chicken. It's awesome" she stated, not bothering to pick up her menu. "What about you?" Matt put on a serious face as he skimmed the menu. The conversation was fluid like it always was, and they ordered happily in the company of their words.

"Um, so theirs something I have to ask you…" Eddy asked nervously, curiosity about what he said earlier getting the better of her. _It wasn't such a big deal to ask him if he meant it, hell, he probably did. _She thought, _it cant be only me that thinks things between us are getting serious. If he meant it…_

"Go ahead, shoot" Matt asked, shaking her out of her worrying, he was lounging with one arm over the back of his chair as they waited for their food to arrive.

Eddy took a deep breath "Well, I was-" she was suddenly interrupted by a ringtone. A simplistic, clean 'beep-beep' that somehow put a bad feeling in her stomach every time she heard it. It was his work ring.

"Sorry, babe, gotta answer. Hold that thought" Matt said with a lopsided smile as he retrived his phone from a pocket and flipped it open.

"hey" he answered simply, before a long pause. "I'm just having lunch, can it wait a bit?" Matt asked nicely. It was followed by a longer pause. "come on, I already ordered. I don't want to piss them off, I like this place" he explained, as if trying to coax a child into eating his vegetables. Matt pulled his ear away from the phone suddenly, muffled shouting erupting from the phone. Matt rubbed his temples with a sigh before returning the phone to his ear after the shouting stopped. "Okay, okay. I'm on my way. Yes. Okay. I'll see you then" he said before hanging up.

He fixed Eddy with sad eyes, about to give the speech she had practically memorized about now. Before he could begin, she reached her hand over the table to cover his. "Don't worry about it, it's work. I understand. Go ahead and go, but if you're free tonight swing by, okay?" she asked with a hopeful smile and he gave her a halfhearted one back. He hated having to leave her for Mello, something that was happening a lot recently.

"I'll try, of course" he said before leaning over the table to give her a quick kiss. He stood up and pushed a few bucks in her hand before he let it go. "its on me as long as you promise to bring mine back to your place for later" he said in his half-serious half-joking way to get her to smile. She nodded and he was almost out the door before he remembered and doubled back. "Oh, that thing that you wanted to ask, what is it?" he questioned with a hint of concern.

Eddy gave him a tight smile, one of her fake ones, he knew "don't worry about it, I'll ask you tonight" she stated and he gave her a nod and a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking away again. At that moment the waiter delivered the food and she sighed, it wasn't the first time he'd have to drop plans with her for work. It made her want to find Mello herself and tell him off, but she couldn't, Matt was still keeping her a secret. And besides, she'd probably get shot. It would be worth it, though.

"To Japan?" Matt repeated, frustratingly running a hand through his hair. He'd be gone for a long time, without seeing Eddy at all. The thought was torture.

Mello's chocolate bar made a loud crack as he bit it. "don't sound so excited" he said sarcastically. "You always used to talk about visiting Japan at Whammy's, you weeboo" Mello stated. "So what's the problem?" he questioned gruffly.

Matt wasn't sure what to say. He knew that Mello would only trust him with this job, why else would he be asking a hacker to perform such an un-related task? Matt was the only one Mello trusted not to screw things up. Awhile ago, knowing that would have been a complement, but Matt was just getting exhausted of having to read between the lines of Mello's words to see their friendship. Why couldn't he just state his feelings outright? Come to Matt as if it were a favor rather than an order? Why couldn't he just say he cared about him, like a normal person would? Like Eddy would.

Matt sighed. Eddy was making Mello's flaws much more noticeable. In Whammy's, Mello was the only thing Matt lived for, his only friend. Eddy was something more, and she wasn't afraid to say it. Mello left him in misery when he left Whammy's. Eddy would never leave Matt.

So Matt would never leave her.

Matt took a deep breath as he made his decision, "I have to tell you something" he began, knowing Mello would hate what he was about to say.

It was raining hard outside and Eddy sighed from her chair, wrapping her hands tighter around her hot coca. She thought about getting up and changing into warm pants, but she didn't want to leave the intercom. She was sure Matt would be buzzing it at any minute, and she didn't want to miss it. Sure, he would probably call her then, but she didn't want the poor thing out in the rain longer than he had to be.

His Chinese food was already in the microwave on a plate, waiting to be warmed up whenever he arrived. It was 6 and a half hours since lunch, and she was beginning to think he wasn't coming at all. He hadn't even called or texted her. It made her nervous, he always did one or the other before he went out on a job for Mello, so he could explain that it was just something simple and safe. Even if he lied about what he was doing exactly, it worried her less. Ever since he'd told her about the mob, she'd had images in her head about him getting beaten up by a rival. Or getting thrown in jail. Or a shoot out.

Something about the last thought always made her blood run cold and a shiver run down her spine. She sipped her coca gingerly to get the cold image away from her. That was when her cell rang, and the sudden loudness made her jump, spilling a little coca on her shirt. She disregarding the sting and almost dove for her phone on the counter.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, babe" it was Matt.

"What took you so long?" she asked with a chuckle. "You on your way over?" she asked, unable to stop the smile that crossed her face.

Matt sighed deeply, and her face dropped. "No. I can't" he stated, something in his voice making her feel sick.

"Oh" she said, disappointed. "Well how about tomorrow? We can meet at the arcade?" she questioned hopefully.

"I'm on the runway" Matt said.

"what?" she was confused, feeling sicker now.

"We're about to take off. I'm going to Japan" Matt stated.

She was going to puke for sure "j-j-Japan?" she stuttered. "For work? For how long?" she dreaded the answer.

Matt cringed at her voice, it was wavering like she was going to cry. "A month. Maybe more. I'm sorry." he paused. "I told Mello about you when he gave me the job, but he threw a fit and drove me to the airport and forced me on the plane. He took my phone too, I'm borrowing now" he stated.

"I… don't know what to say" Eddy said slowly, her throat was dry.

"We're starting to go, I have to hang up" Matt said. "I'm going to miss you" he finished.

"W-wait! I-" Eddy started, but the phone only portrayed a dial tone. She dropped in onto the counter and slumped down against the cabinets. _A month-or longer-without Matt… She could feel herself starting to cry but jumped as she heard keys in the door._

"_Hey Eddy, I brought home some-" Ed stopped mid-sentence as he looked at her. "What's wrong?"_

_Matt closed the phone with a click and handed it back to the businessman beside him before staring languidly out the window at the rain. The discussion with Mello couldn't have gone worse, it was times like these that Matt hated the blonde. Mello's cruelty that he usually shown only upon others felt like a punch in the stomach when it was directed at Matt. If only Mello had the time and want for anything other than beating Near and Kira, then maybe he could find a girl and understand._

_Matt closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the cool glass of the plane window, making a mental note to buy a new phone the minute he landed in Tokyo. Mello be damned, he was still going to get to Eddy somehow. It had gone too far to let it end now._


	7. Chapter 7

The thin black ink pen copied the pencil line drawn before it, following the exact curves before the hand holding it slipped. "Shit!" Eddy cursed aloud, slamming the pen down on the desk in frustration. Another page ruined from lack of concentration. "How am I supposed to finish inking this stupid robot fight scene if I cant stop thinking about stupid Matt and his stupid running off!" she yelled to the empty apartment, immediately feeling bad since she knew it really wasn't Matt's fault he left. The momentary anger and frustration deflated from her as she sighed before leaning back in her desk chair and rubbing her eyes exasperatedly. She wished she could call him, but Mello had confiscated his phone. Waiting around for him to call her wasn't the most fun either, _it's been two days since he's been in Japan. shouldn't he have called me already? _She thought to herself before the door opened with a loud bang against the wall.

Eddy jumped, nearly falling out of her chair as Ed came in, slamming the door behind himself and knocking her out of her thoughts. "Sis, you are going to love me forever. I have some news that's going to cheer you right up" Ed said happily, grinning from ear-to-ear. There wasn't anything that could really get her out of her mopey attitude lately, despite Ed's several attempts. He'd taken her out to dinner, bought her comics, had a zombie movie marathon of her favorites-but nothing worked. He was beginning to get discouraged, that is, until he went to his latest audition.

She raised an eyebrow, her face blank "If it's that the new edition of Brain Bashers came out early, I already know. I bought a copy yesterday" Eddy said monotonically. She stood and walked past her brother into the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. She needed a break from inking anyway.

Ed followed her "No, its waaay better" Ed paused, grabbing her elbow and guiding her to sit on the couch before he began telling her the news. "Okay, so I went to audition for this movie, right? Its an indie-ish one, but its got a lot of seasoned actors in it. They wanted to bring in someone fresh to be the lead, and so my agent called-"

Eddy sighed "and?" Ed frowned slightly at her lack of patience and her rude interruption, but didn't scold her on it.

"and anyway, I got the part!" Ed said and she smiled slightly, opening her mouth to congratulate him before he shushed her. "Theirs more. The movie's being filmed in Tokyo and the filming starts in three days! We're going to Japan! You can see Matt!" Ed shouted and a grin broke out over Eddy's face.

She squealed and hugged him. "Really? How did you convince them to let me go with you?" she questioned, the large grin still on her face.

"I told them that I can't be away from my twin or I can't act! We're getting free tickets and food and a hotel room! The flight is tomorrow!" Ed exclaimed, grinning as his sister jumped up from the couch with a yell.

Eddy jumped up and down, "Oh my god, we have to pack! And I have to call Matt-" she paused and stopped. "Oh. I don't know his new number" she stated sadly. The happiness of the moment was ruined. It felt like Matt was ignoring her, and the usual thoughts flooded her mind. _Does he even want to be with me anymore? Has he found some new girl? What if he's hurt? In some hospital?_

Ed frowned at her worried expression, "he still hasn't called you yet?" he regretted the question immediately when her expression fell further. "whatever! we'll find him, okay? I promise!" Ed re-assured before Eddy nodded, putting on a smile.

"So, What are you going to wear? I mean, since you're a big-shot movie star now" she asked teasingly before walking to the closet to retrieve their old suitcases. _Just think… we're going to be in Tokyo this time tomorrow._

Matt sighed, flicking his cigarette out the window before carefully pulling the car away from the curb and leaving the school that the young Yagami girl attended. He'd been on two full days of surveillance now, and by the first day her routine had been clear. The girl did the same thing everyday, but still Mello insisted on running a full week of surveillance before Matt even made a move. It seemed like wasting time, but Mello had said he wanted to be careful. Since when had the blonde ever decided to be careful? Well, since he thought tearing Matt away from Eddy for as long as possible would keep him from liking her.

He passed a convenience store, cheap phones in the windows, and cringed. He still hadn't called Eddy, or bought a phone. A whole week since he'd talked to her on the plane, he kept putting off calling her. _But what if she's mad, or worse, wants to break it off because I left? _Matt pushed his thoughts aside. He was late for his other assignment. Stalki-or rather, watching-Misa Amane. The actress had been under suspicion of being the second Kira by L, and after the Yagami girl was shipped off to LA, Mello had instructed he begin keeping tabs on the blonde. Why not get a head start? Yagami was boringly routine anyway.

Matt turned up the radio, humming along to some song he didn't know as he zoomed off towards the movie set of Misa's latest film. He didn't even have to dig for the info, since rabid fans had been posting every scrap of a detail they could find online. Piece of cake. Now, blending in with the crowd? A bit more of a challenge would he have been dressed normally, but he always wore a simple black shirt and jeans for surveillance. No goggles, gloves, vest, or striped shirts; the only thing he had in common with his usual clothes were the boots, but they were untucked into his pants. Studies show people are less likely to notice you if you aren't wearing goggles and strange fuzzy vests.

"Misa, Misa, you are cute! Misa, Misa, we love you!" chanted a small crowd, a mix of teenage boys and girls. At least he looked around the proper age to worship the popstar turned actress. Having to smush himself into the crowd was certainly not worth walking the two blocks away he'd parked. _And why did I come here again?_ Matt questioned himself as a fan girl, almost viciously, elbowed him out of the way so she could be closer to view Misa. The blonde actress was just barely viewable, as she was standing 10 yards away, but the barricade wouldn't allow any further access. _Hmm, maybe I could make a fake pass and sneak in. If I just bring people coffee, they would never question me…_ Matt brainstormed. Suddenly he lurched forward, deftly shoving a skinny boy out of the way so he could get a better look at the person that just walked on set.

Maybe he was going crazy. Suffering from some sort of withdrawal. Despite the fact that he knew the golden-haired comic artist was all those miles back in LA, she just walked onto the set of Misa's new movie. It just wasn't possible, theirs no way it was the real Eddy. Although this girl could be her body double-except for the fact that she was wearing a dress. _A cute, poofy dress that looks… kinda like… one of those French maid costumes… _Matt gulped and shook that thought out of his head so he could focus on determining if the Eddy-double was the real thing.Same hair, same posture, same body, she even has the same ratty messenger bag. _No! No way could that be a coincidence! No one else has Eddy's bag. She made that thing herself! _Matt thought. His first instinct was to shout her name, but he stopped himself as soon as he opened his mouth. That would completely blow his cover. How else could he get her attention?

"Eddy-chaaaan~!" Misa sing-songed from the set, the latest scene had just finished. They had only been at work for three days, and somehow Misa had become enamored with the twin. She'd said that Eddy reminded her of a young Misa, and that she felt a duty to 'take Eddy under her wing'. Ed had encouraged her to humor the biggest star in the movie, even if she was a bit of a ditz. Besides, it's not like Eddy had much to do except skulk around in her twin's shadow. Although, Eddy wouldn't have agreed had she known being a 'protégé' meant wearing dresses.

"Here I am Misa-misa!" Eddy said brightly as she walked on set to meet the actress. Even if she was a little short of a full deck, the blonde star still meant well and far be it for Eddy to be rude to her. Even if the clothes weren't exactly Eddy's… taste. Misa had given her a strapless black dress that clung to her chest like a corset, but poofed out at the waist and made the skirt have the appearance that she was wearing a petticoat. She also wore knee-high white stockings with little black bows on the top, and her feet fit snugly into black mary janes. The entire outfit was topped off with a thin black headband in her hair and makeup on her face applied by Misa's own team of stylists. Eddy felt like the actress's real-life Barbie doll.

Misa-misa squealed and skipped happily to Eddy's side as she emerged from backstage. Misa pouted at the other blonde "Eddy-chan! Misa-misa told you, you can call Misa-misa Misa-chan! It's how friends refer to each other in Japan!" Misa scolded before resuming her happy smile and continuing, "did you watch Misa-misa's scene? What did you think?" Misa enquired, her usual bubbly personality intact.

"Well, Misa-chan, it was lovely. I think you are a perfect fit for Daniel's happy-peppy older sister!" Eddy complimented brightly, referring to her brother's character Daniel.

At her words, Misa squealed again and gave Eddy a tight but quick hug. "Thank you, Eddy-chan!" Misa cooed before smiling in the direction of her crowd of fans. "Now, lets go say hello to my fans! I'll introduce you!" Misa exclaimed before grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away before she could protest. Eddy shot the 'help me!' look to her brother, but he was already lost in the table of delicious catered food. _Note to self, payback later_ Eddy thought just as the two girls reached the fan barricade.

The crowd was positively rabid, shouting and jumping people were everywhere as well as a few trying to reach out and touch Misa's hand or clothes. Thankfully, Misa's four bodyguards had followed the two girls. Without them, the fan barricade surely would have been knocked over in seconds. Eddy felt her shyness kicking in, she hated crowds, and her clothing was certainly not helping her self-confidence. Misa giggled as Eddy slunk behind her, trying to hide from the cameras that the fans were now snapping left and right.

"Konichiwa~!" Misa sung out in her extra-sweet voice. Eddy barely knew a few Japanese words, so when Misa started speaking fluently in her native language, Eddy gave up trying to understand her. The only words that the American could understand out of Misa's sentence was the "Eddy-chan!" that Misa said with a happy squeal that sent a shiver down her spine. Just like that, Eddy was suddenly in the spotlight as Misa forcibly grabbed her arms and pulled her so that the crowed could see her fully. The fans tittered with Japanese conversation so fast that she couldn't even hope to follow, and Eddy could feel herself blushing from the attention. Misa subtly nudged her with an elbow. "Say something!" the actress urged, switching back to speak to her in English.

Eddy nodded and tried to swallow her nervousness. "U-um, Hello! I-I-I don't speak much Japanese, so I apologize. But it is very nice to be here with Misa-chan in this beautiful country, we are having a lot of fun" Eddy stammered, a little surprised at the understanding looks on some of their faces. What was more surprising was the English-spoken shouts that followed her statement.

"A girl Eddy? Cute!" one girl cooed, another voice from somewhere in the crowd shouted. "Eddy-chan is cute!" Eddy couldn't help but blush. She remembered something Misa's boyfriend had told her when she met him and tried to speak in broken Japanese; most students in Japan already took English language classes. The remembrance of the man made her shiver lightly, there was something she couldn't put her finger on about him. Something she didn't like. Maybe it was his subtle condescending tone.

Misa giggled and slid an arm around Eddy's waist and pulled them closer together as people began snapping photos again. "I'm so glad! They like Misa-misa's new best friend a lot!" Misa informed her, whispering in her ear before turning to the crowd and flashing them a smile and peace sign.

Eddy looked shell-shocked, and Matt couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was when she got all shy. _No wonder she made friends with Misa so easily, Misa's practically made her into her doll,_ Matt thought with a snicker as the actress forced Eddy into other cutesy poses for the cameras. _She looks like she wants to be rescued-_ Matt cut his amused thoughts off as someone nudged him.

It was a slightly older man, but he was still dressed like a teen. His bright pink 'I heart Misa-misa' shirt was more than a little creepy. "I bet I know what you're thinking" the man said in Japanese, a gurgle of a laugh escaping him. "Two blondes with one stone" the man said with a wink, grabbing his crotch for emphasis. Matt could feel his expression flicker from one emotion to the next; pure disgust, and then complete rage.

His fist shot into the man's face before he could even think about it.

The crowd suddenly broke apart with cries of shock and confusion. An older man, maybe in his late twenties, was on the ground clutching his face. His aggressor stood above him, clenching his fists and shouting something in Japanese that Eddy couldn't understand. She squinted her eyes at the man, something about him seemed oddly familiar, but she barely got a glance before Misa's security began to rush them away and back towards the set.

"Wait, wait!" Eddy said to the strong arms gripping her shoulders and practically dragging the two girls away. "That guy, I think I know him!" Eddy said urgently, before turning to Misa "what was he saying?"

Misa's eyebrows were high in confusion, "he was shouting; don't talk about her like that, you're a filthy pervert" she translated, Eddy's blood running cold at the next words she spoke. "She's my girlfriend"

Eddy shoved the security away, nearly sprinting back to the fan crowd that was now buzzing in curiosity. The large grin unconsciously spread across her face as she skidded to a stop at the railing. "Matt!" she called happily. The red-head turned from a conversation, his eyes wide. Eddy knew it was him, and without a second thought about the fact that she was wearing a dress, she hopped the railing. He met her halfway through the crowd "I missed you so much! Why haven't you called?" Eddy asked, but didn't wait for an answer before she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his unusual black shirt.

Over the chatter of the crowd, Misa's voice rang out in English "Eddy-chan? Is he really your boyfriend?" she asked in an overly excited squeal. Matt was cursing himself in his head, thinking for a way, anyway, he could get through this without his cover being blown. But the blonde girl in his arms was too quick for him as she turned to face Misa.

"Yes!" Eddy told the actress with a grin before turning back to Matt and giving him a quick peck on the lips. She caught the red-head's eyes as she leaned back from him, it was an expression that made her grin drop instantly. "Matt? What's wrong?" she questioned, confused.

He couldn't blame her, it wasn't her fault. _After all, how was she supposed to know I'm tailing Misa? _Matt clenched his fists, _no, its my fault. If only I'd bought a damn phone. I could have called her. I would have told her… I called attention to myself by hitting that guy, I shouldn't have reacted like that. I completely lost my cool… Matt had no idea what to do, so he simply looked down at Eddy with a smile and said "Nothing"._

_Things were about to get complicated._


	8. Chapter 8

It was long after taping for the movie had finished for the day, and Eddy found herself in a café rather than alone with Matt like she'd much rather be. It all started when Eddy mentioned that she'd never tried karaoke; It was all Misa needed to start making plans. Ed, Matt, Misa, Eddy, Danni (Misa's makeup assistant, around their age), were currently eating sushi in one of the back karaoke rooms and striking up conversation while they looked at the song menu.

"But anyway, what I really love doing is makeup for horror movies" Danni stated, batting her eyes at Ed. Eddy could tell he wasn't interested in the girl in the slightest, but she made no effort to cut into their conversation and save him. Besides, there was something else far more important going on at the moment.

Misa was giggling, sitting between Eddy and Matt, and laughing at his joke. Which was stupid, Matt always made lame jokes. "Eddy, why didn't you tell Misa-misa you had a boyfriend that was so funny?" Misa asked, smiling cheerfully at the redheaded boy.

"Probably because I didn't even tell you I had a boyfriend…" Eddy commented, but Misa seemed to not hear her.

"You know," Misa said, placing her hand on Matt's arm. "You remind me a lot of my boyfriend" as soon as the words left her mouth, a sickly-sweet ringtone blared from her phone and Misa jumped in surprise. "Oh! That's him now!" she squealed happily, getting up from the sofa as she answered the phone. "Moshi moshi, Light-kunnn!" Misa greeted cheerfully before she went out into the hall to talk.

Eddy let out a sigh of relief, "Finally, I thought she would never stop. I haven't seen you in such a long while, and here she is monopolizing you" she said with a smile.

Matt frowned. "I know, I apologize about not calling you. I'm sorry. I've just been so busy-" Eddy cut him off as she leaned forwards and gave him a light kiss.

"As long as you haven't been busy with another girl, I don't mind" she said teasingly with a smile. "At least I get to see you now, anyway" Eddy leaned in to give him a better kiss, but he avoided it be turning his head.

Matt sighed, "That's the thing, since you're here, we need to talk" Eddy could feel her heart drop in her chest. 'We need to talk' could only mean one thing.

"What do you-" Eddy was cut off as Ed sat down beside her abruptly on the couch.

"Yeah, Eddy, tell Danni all about that summer theatre camp we went to! You did the stage makeup, right?" Ed said, butting in to their conversation desperately.

Eddy gave him a glare before turning to Danni with a smile. "No, I did the set work, Ed did his own makeup" She said before grabbing Matt's hand and standing. As she led the redhead out of the room, Eddy gave her twin a look that simply said 'payback'.

As soon as they got outside to the deserted hall and shut the door, Eddy looked at him with worry deep in her eyes. "Look, if you want to break up, I understand" she said sadly, and Matt raised his brows at her.

"You think I want to break up with you?" He asked in surprise.

"You don't?"

"You'd understand if I did?" Matt asked, as if he was just picking up on it. "Eddy, do you want to break up?" He questioned.

"No!" she said with a laugh.

Matt breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good" he said. "Anyway, I really need to talk to you about Misa and why I was at the set"

"Yeah, how did you know I was there anyway?" Eddy questioned.

"I didn't" he answered blatantly. A confused expression crossed Eddy's face. "It was a nice surprise, but I was really there to see Misa because Mello-" Matt cut himself off as Misa and a man holding her hand came around the corner. They had probably already heard part of their conversation, but Matt stopped talking immediately either way.

Eddy picked up on the fact that whatever it was Matt needed to say, it wasn't meant to be heard by others. "Oh, hi Misa-chan. Who is this?" Eddy greeted cheerfully, looking at the man. He was handsome and had strawberry-blonde hair, but everything was spoiled with the underlying distaste in his expression. He definitely didn't want to be here, but kept a fake polite smile on his face anyway.

"This is Light-kun!" Misa squealed. "He's my boyfriend!" She said happily, wrapping her arms around one of his in a hug. Light gave her a smile that one would give to a loyal pet.

"I've heard a lot about you, I'm Mias's friend Eddy. It's a pleasure to meet you" Eddy greeted, shaking his hand politely.

Light smiled at her, "We've met before, if you recall" he stated smoothly.

It had been brief, but Eddy did remember now that he said so; mostly the way Light had told her not to bother speaking Japanese because she wasn't very good at it. Prick. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm forgetful" she stated curtly before turning and holding Matt's hand. "This is my boyfriend, Matt, by the way" Eddy said, bringing the redhead forward by a light tug of his hand.

"Nice to meet you" Matt said, shaking Light's hand quickly.

"Oh, this is great! We should go on a double date together sometime!" Misa exclaimed excitedly. "I've been telling Light since we started dating that we should make more couple friends so we can go out together!" Misa said.

Eddy laughed nervously, "Well right now we better get in there so we can pick our songs" she said, successfully distracting Misa before her and Matt were roped into something.

The four of them followed each other through the door and back into the room where Danni was still chatting to Ed animatedly. "So, what were you two talking about?" Light asked Matt, trying to sound as casual as possible even though it was a rude question.

Eddy gave him a strange look as her and Matt sat on the couch across from Misa and Light. "It's personal, sorry" Matt spoke up quickly.

"What's personal? What?" Ed said from beside Eddy on the couch, ignoring whatever Danni was saying from beside Misa on the other couch.

Eddy laughed and gave her twin a light shove. "Personal as in none of your business, dork"

Ed rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. I nominated you to go first in karaoke!" Ed said cheerfully, Eddy glared at him immediately.

"Aww, no reason to be shy Eddy-chan! We're all your friends!" Misa cooed from the couch in front of them.

Eddy pouted as Matt started chuckling from beside her. "What's so funny, huh?" She asked him sharply.

Matt was smirking at her. "Do you have stage fright?" he asked, and Eddy blanched. It was all the answer he needed. "Well, come on then" Matt said, standing up and pulling her to her feet.

"Why? What?" Eddy asked, confused.

Matt smiled widely at her. "We're going to do a song together, that way you wont be nervous" Matt said.

Danni let out an "Aww!" at Matt's words, making Eddy laugh at shake her head at the redhead.

"Fine, but you've forced me into this" Eddy stated as they walked over to the machine and Matt selected a number for a song. Eddy couldn't even remember him giving the song book a glance, and wondered if he even knew what he was choosing.

The opening beats of the song sent Eddy into loud laughter, but the two of them still managed to get through the rendition of 'I got you babe' even though they were cracking up. Eddy had a god-awful singing voice, but somehow Matt was worse; Ed and Danni kept jokingly clutching their ears in exaggerated pain throughout the whole performance.

The last chord of the song faded, "Thank you, thank you" Matt said, jokingly bowing as Misa, Ed, and Danni clapped.

"Oh my god, that was so bad. Like the worst thing I have ever heard" Ed said with a laugh. Eddy playfully slapped him on the head as her and Matt made their way back to their seats.

"Misa-misa's turn!" Misa squealed, hopping out of her seat. "Light-kun, what song do you want to do with me?" Misa questioned happily. Judging by the look that passed across his face, Light would much rather eat garbage or shoot himself.

"I'm sorry, Misa. I'm feeling a tad under the weather, I don't want to loose my voice for work tomorrow" Light stated.

Mias's expression immediately darkened, but she turned to the karaoke machine without another word. She chose one of her own upbeat pop songs, trying to be as chipper as possible although her eyes kept drifting over to Light sitting on the couch. Her boyfriend wasn't paying any attention to her performance, checking something on his phone instead.

Eddy narrowed her eyes at Light. It made her mad, even if Misa was a bit of a chore, she still didn't deserve to be treated like Light was treating her. He could at least show a little interest in his own girlfriend instead of being such a wet blanket.

"So, Matt, what is it that you do?" Light asked as Misa finished and eagerly received compliments from Danni.

Matt looked a bit taken aback, Light hadn't even bothered to clap for Misa and was instead asking some stranger about his job. "Um, I'm a programmer back in the US" Matt stated.

"Oh? What brings you here? Business?" There was something unsettling in Light's tone.

"No," Matt wrapped an arm around Eddy's shoulders. "I just came here to be with my girl. I don't know how you can stand being away from Misa so much, with all the shoots she does and all" Matt commented, trying to change the subject.

Ed was watching the conversation, a confused look crossing his face as he caught Eddy's eye. Twin telepathy was a myth, but it was still really easy for Eddy to guess what her brother was thinking. _What the hell is Matt talking about? _Ed's eyes asked.

Eddy shook her head, _Don't worry about it._ She gave her twin a light smile, just to tell him that everything was okay.

"Well, I just don't know what song to pick, what do you guys think?" Ed asked, interrupting the discussion and shoving the song book in Matt and Eddy's hands.

Matt was grateful for the distraction. It seemed that Light was making casual conversation, but something in the redhead's gut told him otherwise. Misa had been under suspicion to be the second Kira, so it was no doubt that whoever was the first had to be close to the blonde girl. Matt reminded himself to stay on his toes around Light.

"Oh, they have the Beatles!" Eddy exclaimed and Ed grinned.

They continued taking turns singing and casually eating sushi for another hour or so. Light didn't make another attempt at talking to Matt, deciding to play it cool and turn his attention to the fun. Although, Light never sang or goofed off like most of the others. He seemed like he was just a straight-laced guy that didn't go out much, but Matt couldn't shake this calculating feeling coming from Light. Still, time passed and soon it was time to go.

"Eddy, where are you going?" Ed asked, arm around Danni as they stood on the curb outside trying to hail a cab. Eddy turned, she was already halfway down the street with Matt before Ed had noticed she wasn't going with him. Light and Misa were long gone, as they were the first to get a cab when the six of them walked outside.

"I'm going back to Matt's" she called. "I'll meet you at the set in the morning!" Eddy finished, Ed nodded at her retreating form before ducking in a cab with Danni. Eddy turned back to Matt "So, what is it you were saying before we got interrupted earlier?" she asked curiously.

Matt was deep in thought, _Light feels like danger, by connection Misa must be too, even though she seems so innocent…_ "I don't want you going to the set" Matt stated finally.

Eddy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? Why not? I like supporting my brother" She said.

He reached out to hold her hand. "We'll talk about it at home. I don't feel right about saying it here" Matt said, but it did nothing to quell her confused and curious expression. "I just want you to be safe" he said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

'Home' was a small apartment in a darker part of Tokyo, which was probably why it was so cheap. At least it came with covered parking for Matt's mustang; it had been shipped over, but the cost was worth it to see Eddy's face as she admired the car again. They left the parking lot and climbed the stairs down to the basement before entering apartment 5B.

"This is it" Matt said as he took off the stifling black shirt, going over to his suitcase in the corner to get something with stripes.

The apartment had sickly yellow peeling wallpaper, a mini fridge and small microwave on top of the only counter space in the corner of the room. A scraggily couch sat before an old TV, which Matt had beefed up with some game consoles and a cable TV box that was no doubt getting stolen channels. In the remaining corner by Matt's suitcase were two doors, one for the small bathroom and another for a fold out bed that looked unpredictable as to when it would fly shut. The room hummed with the sounds of the laundry room next door, but not so loud that it was impossible to tune out.

"Wow, you're such a high roller" Eddy commented sarcastically, flopping down on the couch as Matt slid a striped t-shirt over his head.

"Yeah, you know me" the redhead said with equal sarcasm as he sat beside her, pulling his goggles on and leaving them dangling at his neck.

Eddy turned, laying on her back and putting her head in his lap. "But in all seriousness, what's up?" She asked, dying to finally get an answer out of him.

"I think Light is Kira" Matt stated, and she shot up in surprise.

"What?" she exclaimed in shock, sitting up on her elbows.

Matt ran a hand through her hair and shifted his arms around her back so he could support her. "I mean, Mello suspected Misa of being the second Kira and that's why I'm here. Well, partially. I just don't think its safe for you to be around those two" Matt said.

Eddy had a hand on her temples. "Wait, wait, wait. Second Kira? And what do you mean partially?" she asked, although her feelings agreed with him. Misa was fine, but hanging around Light definitely made her feel unsafe.

"Kira started delegating his powers to others the closer L came to finding him. Mello went over some information recently and decided that Misa is the most obvious candidate to be the second Kira. And, I don't know what it is exactly, but I just _feel_ like Light is the first Kira. I don't have any evidence, but theirs just something about him that doesn't sit well with me. I don't want you to be in danger, and things could be headed that way if you keep hanging around the set." Matt explained.

Eddy let his words sink in for a few moments. "I don't think I'm in any danger… I mean, its not like Light knows you're investigating with Mello. Why should I stop going to the set if he doesn't know? I don't want to leave Ed alone…" Eddy said.

Matt frowned, "See, that's the thing. Light didn't say it, but the way he was asking me questions…" he trailed off. There was something about the way… _Oh. What brings you here? Business? _Matt thought of Light's question and immediately shook his head. "I cant shake this uneasy feeling about it… Just, let me go with you at least, ok?" Matt asked worriedly.

"Sure" Eddy conceded, brows twisting in concern at Matt's worried features. "Now, how about we play some Mario kart?" She asked, breaking into a smile as the redhead's face lit up immediately at her words.

Matt leaned forward and kissed her. "You're the best girlfriend ever" he said, smiling as he pulled back from her.

Across town, Misa was just getting out of the shower in her and Light's apartment. "Light-kun!" The blonde called as she traipsed into the living room clad in only a short towel. She was disappointed immediately about finding Light on his laptop.

"Misa, come sit. We have something important to talk about" Light stated, and she grinned before skipping to his side.

She sat on the couch with him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Whenever you say that, its something about Kira work" Misa cooed jokingly, but stopped smiling when she saw Light's serious stare.

He pointed to the screen, and she recognized Eddy and Ed's names followed by tons of information he'd found on them through the system. "That guy Eddy's dating. I'm sure he's with Mello but I can't find anything on him" Light said, picking up the sketch of a boy with a pageboy haircut from the coffee table. "Still, he said Mello's name in the hall, I'm sure of it" Light stated.

"How can you be positive he's with Mello?" Misa questioned, frowning at where the conversation was going. Eddy was supposed to be her friend.

Light glared at her, and she shrunk back. "Weren't you listening? I can't be positive!" Light nearly shouted, making Misa's eyes widen. He stopped, swallowing his temper and regaining his composure for the blonde girl. "Misa, that's why I need you" Light said, changing his tone to a sweet one as he clasped her hands in his.

"Just tell me what to do!" Misa said happily. "I'll do anything for my Light-kun" she said with a smile, one that Light echoed smugly.


	9. Chapter 9

Eddy woke up at ten the next morning, later than usual since they'd played Mario Kart until the early morning. She yawned and sat up before realizing where she was and blushed. Sure Matt and her had technically shared a bed before, but it was different to be in his apartment. Eddy turned her head and smiled at Matt's sleeping face before giggling. His fiery red hair was haphazard and stuck out at odd angles, coupled with his slight drooling, Eddy found it cute and hilarious at the same time.

"Good morning" Eddy whispered in his ear and Matt let out a grunt before flickering his eyes open.

He reached under his pillow groggily and checked his phone's clock, "It's ten in the morning" he stated flatly.

Eddy rolled her eyes. "I'm supposed to be up at nine" she informed before giving him a light kiss and hopping out of the rickety fold up bed. She stretched with her back to him and Matt stared blatantly.

Last night they'd both realized that the dress Misa made Eddy wear was certainly not bedtime suited, so Matt had let her borrow one of his striped long-sleeve shirts. Of course it was too big for her and hung off one shoulder, but more importantly, when she stretched the lush curve of her ass and the delicate vulnerable skin of her inner thighs was exposed. Covered only teasingly by her small black boy short underwear, her milky skin was nearly impossible to look away from.

Matt could almost feel him self drooling.

Despite the fact that he usually wasn't a morning person, Matt happily jumped out of bed after her and pulled Eddy into a hug from behind. Matt kissed the back of her neck before nuzzling into her sleep-mussed blond hair. "Have I ever told you how absolutely gorgeous you are?" he asked into her neck. She shivered lightly from his breath.

"Have I ever told you that we're late? Oh wait, I just did…" Eddy says, but he can hear the smile in her voice.

Matt chuckles, "No, seriously. You have got to be one of the loveliest people alive"

"One of?" She questions.

"I regret to inform you, Peach and Laura Croft are always going to have you beat"

She turns around in his arms, punching him lightly on the chest before enveloping him in a passionate and torturously slow kiss.

"I bet Peach and Laura don't kiss like that" Eddy says when they come up for air. She grins when she realizes Matt's panting and that he has a blush that travels to the tips of his ears.

Matt chooses his next words carefully. "I feel like Laura would kiss better" He barely has time to get the words out before Eddy is kissing him again. His knees go weak and he lets them fall backwards onto the bed with a groan from the springs.

He knew there was a 50-50 chance she would react favorably. Sometimes Matt felt bad about using his intellect for evil, but he certainly didn't feel bad that they were two extra hours late to the movie shooting.

"Sometimes I'm afraid to ask you, sometimes I'm afraid what you'll tell me. That this isn't a-Eddy! Where the hell have you been?" Ed shouts, interrupting his own line.

"Ugh, cut!" The director shouts, grabbing his temples at Ed's outburst. "Everyone take five" the director states, storming off to the concession area with a frustrated sigh.

Ed has long since ran up to her. "I think you pissed him off" Eddy states to her twin, looking at the director now scarfing down a donut.

"Oh, who cares. You're so late! You had me worried. Cool shirt by the way" Ed remarks and she looks down at the white shirt with red kanji over simple black skinny jeans.

"Yeah, sorry, that's my fault" Matt says. "I had a little trouble waking up this morning. She couldn't get me out of bed" he finishes, a large grin plastered across his face.

Eddy blushed profusely, elbowing him secretively so Ed couldn't see. "And I didn't have clothes to wear today so I bought some from a vendor. I could show you were it is and you could get one if you want" she babbles about the shirt, anything to get off the previous subject.

"Nah. But I do have to say, I'm liking the new look Matt" Ed comments. Matt's dressed in another 'normal person' outfit; red v-neck and jeans. Just in case he has time to tail Yagami again.

"Eddy-channn~!" a voice rings out, and all three of them frown before turning to see Misa bounding towards them happily.

Eddy forces a bright smile. "Good morning, Misa-chan" she greets as the blonde comes to a stop beside her.

"You're so late! Misa-misa almost thought you weren't coming today!" Misa says cheerfully before turning to Ed. "By the way, Danni told me to tell you that you need to go to the makeup department for a _touch up_~" Misa emphasizes the last words and winks at Ed, who's long turned bright red in the face.

Eddy frowns. "Ewwww!" She squeals, shoving her brother. "Go see your girl you gross perv!" She exclaims, half-teasingly half serious. Ed laughs at her reaction before quickly making his way towards the makeup trailer.

"Oh, Matt. Misa-misa didn't expect you to be here" Misa comments, just now noticing the redhead.

Matt puts and arm around Eddy's waist and pulls her closer to his side. "I wanted to come support Ed too. Besides, I hate the thought of Eddy coming over here all alone" he stated. Misa's expression briefly twists into frustration, It's quick like lightening, but Matt could still catch it. For some reason, it made him uneasy.

"What a good boyfriend! You better hang onto him!" Misa remarks with a laugh to Eddy.

Eddy looks up at the redhead with a smile. "Of course, I'd never let this one get away" she says before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You don't have to worry about me going anywhere, you're far too cute for that" Matt replies.

Suddenly Misa feels sick, from the plan taking a turn but mostly from downright affection the two had more each other. _Light hates PDA. _She thinks, _Light would never say things like that, unless he had something he needed me for. I love Light, but sometimes… I'm not sure if Light…_

"Uh, I just remembered I'm late for my hair!" Misa exclaims, waving a goodbye over her shoulder as she races off in the direction of the hair trailer. She stops behind the trailer, close to the back fence so no one could overhear her. Her fingers fly over the phone keys, hurriedly punching in the memorized number.

"Yes?" Light asks and Misa frowns with disappointment. _Not even a hello, _she thinks.

"Light! Eddy just got to the set and she's brought Matt along" Misa says.

He sighed, "I was thought this would happen. He's suspicious. Just get her away from him and then continue as planned" Light stated, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Oh, alright!" she says, forcing a cheerfulness out of herself. "You know, Misa-misa doesn't have to be anywhere for 15 minutes... We could talk awhile"

"You know I have important work to do, Misa"

"You're right, Misa-misa's being silly" she said. "Go ahead and get back to work, but Misa-misa loves yo-" Misa cuts herself off as the dial tone blares from the phone. _He hung up without even a goodbye._

In the meantime, Eddy was showing Matt around the set, and the two of them were currently in the prop closet. "I thought this was a drama, like horror movie thing?" Matt asked as Eddy turned to look for him. It was hopeless, the closet was stuffed with various items and he was probably an aisle over judging from his slightly muffled voice.

"Psychological thriller" Eddy corrected as she rounded a corner, hoping to find the redhead. Nothing.

Footsteps behind her, and she wheeled around "Then how do you explain this?" Matt asked.

One look at him and she immediately broke into laughter. Somehow, he'd found a purple velvet wizard robe (nearly five sizes too big) and a long grey beard that reached to his belly button. "M-Matt! Y-you look s-s-so ridiculous! What are you doing? Where did you get that?" Eddy asked between giggles.

"Who is this Matt? I am Gandalf!" he asked in a booming voice, one hand finding its way out of the long sleeve to stroke his long beard dramatically. Eddy further slipped into hysterics, clutching her stomach as he continued. "One ring to rule them all; let's leave it in change of some tiny hobbit dude! Surely he can do no wrong!"

Tears were slipping from her eyes now. "Oh god, s-stop! Y-You're so stupid!" Eddy gasped through her loud laughter.

Matt grabbed a nearby walker, grinning. "You shall not passsss!" he yelled, slamming the walker down on the concrete. Eddy fell over and literally rolled on the floor, completing one full rotation before they heard the prop door open and both of them went silent.

"Shit!" Eddy whisper-yelled, jumping up and grabbing Matt before yanking him behind a clothing rack and leaving the walker behind.

The person came into view, a plain-looking middle aged woman who appeared to be the costume designer. "Now where on earth is that robe? Jimmy has to wear it for the Halloween party scene…" the woman grumbled, searching through racks desperately.

Eddy gave Matt a glare, to which he just shrugged and flashed her a crooked smile. "You dork, if we get caught Ed could be in trouble. Or we could be kicked off the set!" she whisper-yelled at him, trying to frown although it wasn't working as long as he was giving her that stupid smile.

"This beard its itchy" Matt said, grinning in response.

"Greg is going to have my head!" the woman yelled in frustration, the two of them looking over at her I horror to see that she was heading straight for the rack she was hiding behind. Panicking, the two of them froze in place as the woman slid the hangars apart.

They stared at her, the woman stared back; it almost went on for a full minute. "Um, hello" Matt greeted, fighting the urge to laugh.

"What…" the woman was dumbfounded. "What the hell are you two doing back here?" she squinted at Eddy. "Aren't you Ed's sister?"

Eddy laughed nervously. "Sorry, nope I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm on the makeup crew, just giving him a tour-" she pointed a thumb at Matt, who had by now removed the beard and was in the process of slipping out of the robe. "Well, I think we've seen enough of the prop room! We'll be going now!" Eddy stated in a rush, grabbing Matt's hand and nearly running out of the room; leaving the costume piled in the woman's hands.

They stopped running when they reached the safety of the concession stand where other people were milling around. "That was so smooth" Matt teased, and Eddy gave him a light punch on the arm despite her grin. "No, I mean really. You should go into the CIA and be one of those undercover cops" Matt continued, Eddy winding up to hit him again before they both stopped at a voice.

"Ah, Eddy-chan there you are!" the blonde model/popstar/actress squealed, prancing over to the two.

Eddy shoot Matt a glance that meant 'this isn't over' before looking back to Misa. "Hi again, Misa-chan! Is there something you need from me?" she asked.

Misa tilted her head to once side in a way that looked so cute that Eddy thought of her practicing it in the mirror. "Not exactly… but Misa-misa was just wondering… Can I dress you up again? No offence, but what you're wearing now isn't exactly flattering" Misa stated.

Eddy was taken aback, her mouth open and eyebrows up at the borderline ride statement. "Um… I guess, sure" she hesitantly agreed, stealing a glance at Matt to see his lips pulled into a tight line.

"I think she looks beautiful" Matt stated, putting a hand on the small of Eddy's back protectively. She lifted her head to look at him, but Eddy's expression of confusion wasn't met with Matt's eyes.

Misa giggled. "Oh, of course she is. But Eddy doesn't have to settle for beautiful when she could be stunning!" she said, grabbing Eddy's hand and beginning to pull her away. Matt started to follow, but Misa stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Where do you think you're going, silly? This is girl time!" Misa said lightheartedly, although her eyes were firm.

Matt didn't know what to say, and could only watch with distaste as Misa yanked Eddy away. The last glimpse he caught of the two was as Misa pulled them behind the wardrobe trailer; Eddy looking over her shoulder and giving him a shrug. _I had to let her go, otherwise Misa could become suspicious of me_. Matt told himself firmly, although it did nothing to quell the unease welling up inside him.

**A/N: A pretty short chapter, I'm sorry! I hope all the stupid Matt fluff in this chapter makes up for it, though. If you haven't noticed already, things are getting a bit more serious with the plot and we'll get to see some of Matt's detective skills in action! A lot of fics don't get past Matt's hacker skills, but I think he has to have **_**some**_** merit in investigation since he **_**is**_** the third, what about you? Anyway, thanks for all the support guys and I hope you keep reading! -Luv, Cart**


	10. Chapter 10

"So," Misa began, her hands fluttering through a rack of clothes. "Tell Misa-misa, how did you meet Matt?"

Eddy smiled at the memory, shifting the pile of clothes in her arms slightly. "Well, we met in a comic and video game store. Matt's kind of a huge game-playing nerd, so he was there buying some games, and I was there buying some comics. We just started talking and then he walked me home" she finished, shaking her head as she remembered how Matt drove her to give him her number by how friendly and cute he was.

Misa made sure to direct her displeased frown at the clothing rack, and not Eddy. _This isn't working. Light's going to be upset if I don't get any useful information out of her about Matt. _Misa sighed at the thought, _Although Light said he wasn't positive about Matt being with Mello… Which means their's still a chance Eddy can be my friend. I just have to prove they're not with that guy. _She nodded to herself with renewed vigor, determined to stay focused now.

"What about you, Misa-chan?" Eddy questioned, before Misa could bring up another probing topic.

Misa turned to her with a warm smile, holding a shirt up to Eddy's face to make sure the color complemented her skin. "What about Misa-misa?" she prompted, satisfied with the shirt enough to drop it in Eddy's arms.

Eddy smiled, "How did you meet Light?" she asked.

"Oh, well…" Misa trailed off.

_I met him while searching for my savior, it's though pure fate that such a handsome man was the one who saved me. That's why I love Light, even though he acts the way he does; saving me proves how kind he is. How much he loves me. I'm happy just to be by his side. _Misa didn't dare say the thought aloud.

"We met at a café. Misa-misa saw him from across the way and just had to talk to him. You could say it was love at first sight!" Misa prattled off instead, as Eddy nodded along.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you two do really seem like an odd pair" Eddy commented.

Misa turned back to the clothing rack, occupying herself by pretending to consider a black velvet dress. "An odd pair?" she questioned, playing dumb as always.

"Well," Eddy began difficultly, trying not to hurt the other girl's feelings. "You're so fun, and he's so… And he doesn't seem to pay a lot of attention to you. Weather normal girl or superstar, every girl deserves an attentive and loving boyfriend"

_I love Light, _Misa reminded herself, _I love my savior. No matter what._

"Don't be silly, Eddy-chan," Misa says with a fake laugh, "Light loves Misa-misa very much"

During the first acting lesson Misa attended as a young girl, her instructor stressed the importance of having a charmingly believable fake laugh. His exact words were; _"Because even if you may feel like crying, the show must always go on." _And they were the very words echoing in Misa's head at that moment.

"He's just so busy. Light has a very busy job. Misa-misa understands, because his job is important" Misa blubbers, doing her utmost hardest to keep the tears welling in her eyes from showing in her voice. "Misa-misa knows other people may not understand, but Light helps a lot of people with his job. He keeps people safe. That's why Misa-misa understands" she stops before she can say anything else, suddenly aware that she was talking about Light's Kira persona.

_But, Eddy won't be able to figure out I was talking about Kira. _Misa assures herself, _It's alright. Nothing's wrong. The plan, I just need to stick to the plan. What am I doing, letting Eddy ask me these things? It's only distracting me._

Eddy was taken aback, Misa was freaking her out considerably; but in what way? Eddy couldn't put her finger on it. _It doesn't sound healthy. Light and Misa, theirs something wrong there. It isn't… It can't be an abusive relationship, right? _she wondered worriedly, trying to remember all the warning signs her high school PSA's had given.

"So, have you introduced him to the family yet?" Eddy questions, wincing at the obvious subject change and hoping that Misa wouldn't see it for what it was; an attempt to tell weather or not Light was dragging her away from her loved ones. The people that would care if the young actress was abused.

Misa blinked out of her reverie at Eddy's words, "Oh no, Misa-misa doesn't have a family anymore. But Light has met my best friends. Danni, and you!" she said in a cheerful tone, discreetly swallowing down the tears that had threatened to spill over and wreak her makeup.

_Red flag! red flag! _Eddy's thought's blared, _I don't know how long her and Danni have been friends, but if Misa only considers the two of us her best friends-that means that Light has pretty much pulled her away from everyone else. Not to mention, "doesn't have a family anymore" is just about the creepiest thing I've heard. Has Light brainwashed her into thinking that?_ It suddenly struck Eddy just how little she knew about the model, and she made a mental note to ask Matt to research both Misa and Light later.

"Have you met Matt's family yet? Or his friends?" Misa asked casually, walking down the aisle toward the shoe section.

Nothing in the question was inherently suspicious, and it fit in with the previous conversation, but Eddy still hesitated before answering. "Matt's an orphan" she supplied, quickly following the blonde.

_That isn't giving too much away, is it? _Eddy wondered, _But I definitely can't mention Mello. Well, it might be better to stick as close to the truth as possible. I could mention Mello, but I better not mention his real name or what he looks like…_

"Oh? That's a hard thing to grow up with" Misa says, and she sincerely means it, because growing up without her family for only a few years was devastating; she can't imagine what it would be like to start out as a young child without one. But, even if it is sad, the news is also a good thing. Because Light said Mello grew up in an orphanage, didn't he?

She tries to be casual, "Did he have a foster family or anything?" Misa questions, examining a pair of black flats.

Eddy shifts uncomfortably. "Um, he doesn't like to talk about it" a simple enough answer, because it's mostly the truth. Matt had only brought it up once.

"Yeah, Misa-misa understands," Misa says, picking out a pair of bright red heels; while making sure they're small heels. A tomboyish girl like Eddy would probably have trouble in anything but. "That must mean he has some pretty close friends though, right?"

_The friends topic again. That was less subtle, Misa. _Eddy thinks, although she's finding it hard to be too suspicious of the girl's questions. _You seem too… innocent to be a Kira. You're such a sweet girl. That's why I feel like this isn't you, Misa. It's Light, isn't it? But then, why…? Why go along with it?_

"Yeah, he has a pretty close best friend" Eddy said. "I met him once, he wasn't very nice though. Rather rude really"

"Rude?" Misa prompts, pulling Eddy into the dressing room with her.

"He doesn't approve of Matt dating me" Eddy explained, "Misa, I can't change with you in here"

Misa giggles at her, taking the heavy pile of clothes from her arms and dumping it on the changing bench. "We're both girls, nothing to be afraid of. Besides, Misa-misa needs to make sure you put the right outfits together" Misa says.

A smile overtakes Eddy's face, she's suddenly reminded of her high school friends and their trips to the mall to try on clothes. It had been a long time since she'd done anything like that, or even hung out with friends in general. Since she'd moved to LA, Eddy had drifted apart from her old comrades and never bothered to make enough effort to create new ones. She suddenly feels lonely.

"You're right," Eddy says, "So what outfit am I trying on first?"

**…**

Matt is so relived to see Eddy return from the wardrobe trailer unscathed that he nearly drops the finger sandwich he'd been munching on. At least, that was the first reason his fingers went limp. The second was due to the next immediate thought pumping through his brain; "_Wow"_ Because, really, _Wow_.

The tank top is a flowery mess of colors, that would look loud and absurd on anyone else, but somehow seems like not enough when tucked into her tiny dark denim shorts. Eddy is quite a short person, but her shapely legs seemed to go on forever when they ended in those dainty red heels. As she got closer, Matt could see her matching red lipstick; and that simply ended him.

"Y-you" he stammered, making a sweeping gesture to Eddy's whole figure with one hand, "Hum, great. That."

From beside him, Ed was laughing. "I think you broke his brain, sis" her twin said, choosing not to mention the fact that Matt and him had been in a deep conversation before the two girls had emerged.

Misa was grinning, evidently proud of herself. "Misa-misa takes that she did a good job then?" she questioned.

Matt simply nodded, desperately trying to recover a semblance of coherent speech.

"I think that's a yes" Ed supplied with a snicker. "Come on, we better leave these two lovebirds alone then. We need to get back on set, anyway" He said, steering Misa away and leaving the gaping Matt alone with a now beet-red Eddy.

"I think you can stop staring now" Eddy stated dryly, hovering around the concession table looking for something to drink; or really something to distract her from Matt's embarrassing attention.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry, its just… you look really fantastic" Matt paused and shook his head. "Not that you don't always look fantastic, it's just that you're not girly enough to-I mean, I like you just the way you are, but Misa really has this way to make you look better. I mean even better!" Matt rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation at his own words.

"It's alright, collect your thoughts. I'll wait" Eddy teased.

Matt found it nearly impossible to give her even a mocking angry look, so instead he settled for the usual goofy grin she dragged out of him. "Or I could always just stop talking" he said slyly, reaching out and hooking his thumbs in her belt loops in order to pull her closer.

"Shut up already" she chastised before closing the gap between them.

**…**

Ed glanced at Misa out of the corner of his eye, his discussion with Matt still fresh in his mind. "So, Misa, I'm really curious about something…" Ed trailed off.

The actress seemed distracted, her eyes cloudy when she looked at him, "Yes? Can Misa-misa help?" She asked, a bright smile on her face.

"What do you think about Kira?" Ed asked bluntly.

Misa was unable to hide her shock at the question, her eyes going wide before she quickly looked away from Ed. "Misa-misa's publicist said that's something She's not supposed to talk about, sorry!" Misa quickly stated.

_Does that mean he's suspicious of me? _Misa wondered, on the verge of panic at the thought. _If I mess up Light's plan, he'll be angry! I might have to kill Ed… No… The movie will be in danger that way. But, if it's for Light… I'll wait. I'll keep an eye on Ed. If things get bad, then I'll tell Light._

"No need to be sorry, I was just curious" Ed said, keeping his tone friendly and fighting not to stare at her suspiciously. "It's a lot bigger deal here then it is in the US, so I don't blame you. Say the wrong thing, and you could be in a lot of trouble!" he said with a laugh.

Misa returned the laughter, "how about you run lines with Misa-misa, instead?" she questioned.

"That sounds like a good idea, I could always use more practice!" Ed agreed, taking out his cell phone as he did so.

_Matt is probably right, _Ed thought, _I couldn't believe it at first; but Misa's reaction has to mean something. Its suspicious. I just hope Eddy doesn't get dragged into this situation… Matt better take care of her. After all, he's started whatever this is._

**…**

Eddy's phone let out a chime from her back pocket, causing both of them to stop their actions in the crowded broom closet.

"I wonder who that is…" Eddy muttered in confusion, leaning back on Matt's lap in order to retrieve the phone from her pocket. She flipped it open, her eyebrows narrowing in further bewilderment, "Why would Ed send me a text…?"

**Msg**

**From: Bro**

**Asked M if she was Kira fan, wouldn't answer tho.**

**I don't like it. PLZ be safe around her.**

"He asked… if she was a kira supporter…" Eddy said in disbelief, looking up at Matt in shock. "Did you tell him to do that? Misa's not dumb, she knows something up now!" she nearly shouted.

Matt was scowling, "I told your brother not to mention anything to her about me, although I don't know how much of the truth Ed really knows... I also told him that I don't trust Light or Misa, but that we'd talk about it later. I cant believe he'd just flat out ask her that!" it was strange for Eddy to see him so upset; Matt was actually angry.

"I never told him anything about you, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know something…" Eddy trailed off as she ran a hand through her hair. "Dammit! Sometimes my brother can be so unbelievably stupid!"

"Eddy, calm down a second. We just have to figure out a plan to deal with this" Matt stated, taking a deep calming breath himself. "I don't think Misa would really want to kill Ed, since he's such a big part of the movie-and that would hurt her career. But… I'm not sure. I don't really know what Misa's capable of. We have to figure out a way to keep your brother safe."

She gulped, nodding a 'yes' at him. "You're right. I don't think Misa would do it unless she's told to. I think Light is really pulling the strings. But still, can't Kira kill with just a face? We could all be dead" Eddy said.

"That's true. She probably already knows my, and your's and Ed's, names. That's why we have to figure out a way to become indispensable to her. Or Light. Well, maybe you and me can be safe by being stealthy still, but Ed is definitely in trouble by saying something like that" Matt stated. "We need to gain their trust somehow…"

"You know," Eddy began, choosing her words carefully. "I think Misa's connection to Light is weakening. If she really is his second Kira… Maybe there's a way we can pull her away from him. He's an awfully shitty 'boyfriend'. The only one who doesn't see it is Misa"

Matt stared into space silently for a few moments before answering. "If we got Misa on our side, it could change everything. I think you have something there" he lightly eased Eddy off his lap so he could stand. "We need to do some research on the couple. But, first things first, let's make sure Ed's alright"

**A/N: This ended up being way more about Misa than I intended. I guess its cause I sort of like her character; I say sort of because I think she would be a pretty decent gal without Light... ANYWAY. Thanks for the reviews and favs, and I apologize for taking so long to update. This story just got really hard for me to write for some reason... -Luv, Cart**


	11. Chapter 11

The hurried walk to Misa's dressing room proved futile when Eddy burst through the door, interrupting nothing more threatening than Ed and Misa's laughter.

"Sis?" Ed said in surprise, rising from the loveseat couch in concern, "what is it, are you okay?"

Eddy recoiled in shy shock at the happy scene as Matt re-doubled his efforts, sliding an easy-going grin on his face. "Oh, everything's fine," Matt stated, "Right?" He paused long enough for Ed to understand, and the twin fixed him with a grin before nodding his head slightly at Matt.

"I was just coming to tell you that Matt and I are going to head out" Eddy said with a smile, recovering from her shock in a heartbeat. "You don't need anything, do you?" she asked, eyes flickering to Misa still sitting on the couch.

"No, I'm fine. You guys go ahead, just call me when you get there okay? I worry about you" Ed said.

Eddy laughed lightly, "You? Worry about me?" she shook her head, "Oh bro, you have no idea" Matt clears his throat, giving her a meaningful look that makes Eddy feel sheepish for speaking so close to the truth around Misa. "Well, anyway, we'll be going," Eddy says awkwardly. "But, um, call me sometimes Misa. We really need to hang out outside of the set again. Karaoke was really fun" she's lying through her teeth but at least part of it was true.

Misa perks up immediately in a way that Eddy can't help but find endearing. "Oh, of course, Eddy-chan! Misa-misa will give you a call tomorrow, it's our day off"

"Well, yours anyway" Ed added to the actress.

Misa nodded, "Misa-misa's not in any scenes tomorrow, so Misa-misa should take you shopping" she says with a smile.

"it's a date. Girl's day out" Eddy promises before her and Matt ease out of the dressing room.

"well that was…" Matt trails off.

"What? Weird?" Eddy supplied. "yeah, her and Ed are just sitting in there laughing. Their's no way she's the mastermind"

Matt gives her a lopsided grin, "That's not what I meant" he said.

Eddy furrowed her brows in confusion, pausing to contemplate it before questioning him. "So, what exactly did you mean?" as she looked up, Eddy realized Matt was already halfway down the hall. "Hey!" she shouts, racing after him. She catches up to him, out of breath and a shade of pink that makes Matt chuckle. "Wait, so, what were you talking about?" Eddy questioned again.

"it's nothing, just don't worry about it" Matt said.

She didn't look convinced. "you can't just say it and then not tell me. Now I'm too curious"

"it's not important" Matt insisted.

"oh come on" Eddy whined.

"Fine!" Matt conceded. "It's just, you and Misa are really chummy. And you guys are going on a date-"

Eddy cut him off with a snicker, "wait, wait, are you… jealous?" seeing Matt's resulting blush, she burst into laughter.

"it's not funny" the gamer grumbled, smashing his hands deep into his pockets.

Eddy grinned at him, looping an arm through one of his and kissing his cheek. "Aww, it's kinda funny" she said, "besides, I only have eyes for you" she finished sheepishly, blushing the moment the words left her mouth.

Matt stops pouting, smiling down at her instead. "I'm lucky"

She blushes harder, playfully hitting him in the shoulder, "Whatever, shut up" she said.

"No, really. I'm lucky to have a girl like you" Matt said as he stopped walking, forcing her to do the same with their interlinked arms. "You're amazing" he finished before giving her a kiss; a kiss that she couldn't help but smile into.

**…**

Misa gasped, blushing as she tried to muffle the upbeat ringtone coming from her pocket. "Misa-misa! This is a closed set, you've just ruined the take with that!" the director yelled, frustratingly throwing up his hands.

"Hey, Dee, cool it, will you? It's not a big deal, I don't think I did well anyway. Let's just try it again" Ed said, giving Misa a re-assuring wink when she smiled appreciatively at him.

"Misa-Misa is going to take this outside" Misa said with an apologetic sheepish smile, hurrying through the stage doors and just barely catching the call before it could stop ringing. "Moshi-moshi, Light-kun! It's so good to hear from you, you won't believe what-"

"Misa, I don't have a lot of time to talk. What kind of information did you get out of Eddy?" Light asked.

Misa's expression dampens, "Eddy-chan told Misa-Misa that her and Matt met in a store! Almost like us, isn't that funny?" she said, trying to salvage the conversation for her own needs. _The quicker Light gets his information, the quicker he'll hang up. The quicker he'll forget about me. Until he needs me again. _Misa thought.

A heavy sigh occupied the other line. "That's great. Anything else? Anything useful?" he asked, his tone already bordering on being fed-up.

She's suddenly struck with the urge to lie, to hide the only important facts from her and Eddy's talk, just to make Light upset. Though, it was no use, he would be upset with her either way. Light was always upset with her lately. "Matt's an orphan" Misa said.

"Good!" Light exclaimed, "That's very, very, good, Misa. Now, did she say anything about a Mello?" He said simply, as if speaking to a child.

"No" Misa replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Light really treated her as if she was stupid sometimes.

He chuckled, "Why are you so upset? It's your own fault you don't have any damn information to tell me. Next time, stay focused when you talk to her. I'll be working late tonight" and he hung up without so much as a goodbye.

"Love you too" Misa said heavily, sighing and shoving her phone back into her pocket before running a hand exasperatedly through her hair.

The loud creak of the stage door makes her jump and wheel around, but an easy smile settles over her when she see's that it's only Ed emerging from the set. "Hey. Dee's under a lot of stress about the shoot, I'm sorry that he went off on you like that. Are you okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned. It make's Misa's smile widen.

"I'm fine. It was just Light calling. He had a bit of a break in work, so he called" Misa said.

Ed is suddenly avoiding her eyes, "Oh, right. Light. How is he, anyway?" Ed asked, his less-than-chipper mood disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Something about the conversation suddenly feels awkward. "Fine, I guess. Busy, as usual" Misa said with a quiet smile.

Ed pauses and tilts his head to the side, "I just noticed, you haven't been saying 'Misa-Misa'" he said.

Misa started, straightening her stance. "Oh, silly Misa-Misa!" she said, forcing an optimistic tone out of herself "Misa-Misa just totally forgot, daydreaming too much!" she finished with a giggle.

"I was going to say that I like it, Misa" Ed said with a sad smile. "Just because you're a model, doesn't mean you're dumb. And just because you're an actress, doesn't mean you have to act all the time" he said before disappearing back through the stage doors.

_Ed is too nice, _Misa thought forlornly, _Much too nice._

**…**

The ringing startles her slightly, and she heads for the phone just as Matt gets up off the couch. "Hey, hey, it's my phone, I'm going to get it" Eddy scolds as she sets down the makings for dinner, Matt happily plopping back down on the couch with his DS in hand. The number is foreign to her caller ID and her, but Eddy picks it up anyway "Hello?"

"Edwina Durgess?" the gruff voice on the line demands.

Eddy squints in confusion, the voice sounds familiar but she can't place it. "Who wants to know?" she said, and it makes Matt look over at her from the couch in worry as he turns down the noise of the Japanese concert on the small TV.

"Is Matt with you?" _Mello._ She thinks immediately, frowning.

"You've got some nerve, calling me after what you did. Shipping him off the minute you heard about him and me! You have no idea what that put me through, you jackass! Listen, weather you like it or not, I'm sticking with Matt and-" Eddy's tirade was cut off when Matt abruptly snatched the phone from her.

"Mello?" he asked, ignoring the scathing look Eddy directed at him.

There was a short pause on the line before he answered, "You should learn how to keep that crazy bitch in check" Mello said, his voice strangely uplifting and contradicting the insulting quality of his words.

"…How did you get Eddy's number?" Matt asked curiously, Eddy ignoring him now and continuing the preparation of dinner instead.

"I have my ways, things I wouldn't have to do if you'd followed my instructions. Why haven't you called me to report yet?" Mello asked, slipping into his angry tone again.

Matt sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I've just been really busy lately… Their's been a lot of progress, though. Eddy's brother is working in a movie with Misa Amane, so Eddy's become really close to her. Her boyfriend, Light, I'm pretty sure is who's behind the new L. He's a real prick, but Eddy and I think we can drive Misa away from him; he's pretty much using her and she's the only one that doesn't see it. If that works out, we might be able to get Misa on our side. Or some information out of her, at least" matt explained with a smile, sure that Mello would be pleased with the news.

"…And the Yagami girl?" Mello asked after a long pause.

Matt nearly dropped his DS, a stream of curse words flying from his mouth, "Fucking Shit-damn Motherfucker! I completely forgot about her!" Matt exclaimed.

"WHAT?" Mello roared, "WE'RE A WEEK BEHIND SCHEDUALE NOW, YOU DUMBASS! THAT'S IT! I'M SENDING TITO AND DANNY TO GET HER AND YOU CAN JUST GIVE THEM THE INFO AND TRY NOT TO FUCK ANYTHING ELSE UP!" and then the line went dead.

Matt let out a heavy sigh, placing the phone and his DS on the coffee table and sinking into the couch with his head in his hands. "He always makes you sad" Eddy commented, placing two steaming bowls of ramen on the table before sitting beside Matt and wrapping an arm around his back comfortingly.

"No, it was something I did. I got to caught up and forgot about my first job. Misa was the second job, but Sayu Yagami was the first" Matt explained.

Eddy rested her head on his shoulder, "Yagami? Related to Light?" she asked.

Matt nodded. "And the chief of police, Light's father and a definite member of the Kira investigation team. Mello's plan was to kidnap Sayu in order to get the Death Note that Kitamura was talking about"

"Kitamura?" Eddy asked, squinting her eyes, "Death Note? You're loosing me. But you're really going to kidnap some woman?"

He sighs deeply, finally taking his head out of his hands. "It doesn't matter. Mello's taking care of it. I just have to meet a few guys and help with the actual extraction. I've never done anything like it before, but what can I do? It's my job" he said.

The both of them lope into silence, the dinner going ignored as they quietly listened to the music of the strange Japanese concert on the TV. Eddy can't understand a word of the Japanese, and the TV gets a channel full of half static so the musical beat itself is blurred; but it makes her smile when Matt stands suddenly and holds his hand out to her. Eddy takes his hand silently and he lifts her up from the floor before she gives him a half-sarcastic curtsy. Both of them are grinning, on the verge of breaking into laughter as they draw each other close in a slow dance that doesn't at all match the pace of the song. With her head against his chest, his heartbeat mixing with the strange music, the moment feels absurdly perfect.

"Hey, Matt?" she questions quietly.

"hmm?" he asks.

They're both barely moving now, only swaying slightly side to side, "I love you" Eddy said.

He isn't shocked at all, the only immediate reply she receives is arms holding her tighter. "Yeah, I love you too" Matt finally says.

They kiss softly as the concert ends with a roar from the crowd.

**A/N: I know, I know, I haven't touched this story in like forever. But here's a random short update. I'll honestly try to get back into writing Haptic on a regular basis. -Luv, Cart**


	12. Chapter 12

The morning began with the shrill sound of her familiar ringtone, making both Eddy and Matt groan aloud at the rude interruption to their blissful sleep. "Turn it the fuck offfff" Matt whined lowly, his voice thick with sleep and muffled by the pillow.

Eddy made a groan of disapproval and snuggled closer to him, "It's all the way across the room" she retorted tiredly.

"But it's so loud" Matt groaned, folding his pillow in half to cover his exposed ear. In a sudden spurt of tired annoyance, Matt sat up and threw his pillow in the vague direction of the coffee table, where Eddy's phone lay. Having successfully done nothing except loose his wonderful cushiony sleep assistant, Matt flopped back down onto the bed with another annoyed groan.

She stretched languidly, now rolled to the side of the bed since she'd slid off of Matt's chest as he'd sat up. "I guess I should go get it, huh?" she said, Matt's only response a bleary patting of her disheveled hair. Eddy sat up with a wobble and yawn, her phone ceasing its incessant ringing at exactly that moment. "Saved" Eddy mumbled in relief, allowing herself to fall back into bed lazily as Matt had, only unlike him, she landed heavily across his naked stomach.

"GUH!" Matt let out in surprise and slight pain, opening his eyes enough to give her a cross stare. "What the fuck, woman?" he grunted out, receiving a half-hearted slap from Eddy in return.

"You did not just call me 'woman', you stupid… man… stupid head," it was surprisingly difficult to come up with a good string of profane insults when you were still half asleep.

Matt sighed, "M'tired. My bad" he said before gently pulling her up beside him so that they could spoon, their legs hopelessly tangled in the sheets from the commotion the cell phone had caused. Peacefully, the two began to drift off, Eddy snuggly wrapped in Matt's comforting arms until…

"Hey, cut it out" Eddy muttered, unmoving.

"Cut what out?" She could hear the wide satisfied smile in his voice, smug and amused at the situation.

Eddy blushed, thankful he was unable to see her face. "Just because I'm naked, doesn't mean you can just go touching my boobs whenever you like. I'm trying to sleep" she said, halfheartedly slapping away his hand.

Matt chuckled, nuzzling his lips into the back of her neck in a way that made her shiver. "I can't help it when you look so tempting" he cooed.

"I look tempting when I'm unconscious?" Eddy asked incredulously, opening her eyes to stare and quirk an eyebrow at him until she realized he couldn't see her expression.

"Don't make it sound so creepy" Matt scolded. "You're just laying beside me all naked and gorgeous, I can't help it"

Eddy chuckled in spite of herself, breaking it off with a light sigh as Matt gently kissed her shoulder blade. "I think you're just a pervert" she retorted, rocking her hips ever so slightly against him despite her words; smirking at his obvious arousal.

"Says the girl wriggling her ass against me, ah, stop that you tease" Matt said breathily, nipping at her neck playfully-And for the second time that morning, Eddy's loud cell phone ringtone cut through the pleasurable mood. "I hate your fucking phone" Matt commented with a scowl.

She snickered, turning slightly in order to give him a kiss. "I know" she said with a smile before quickly turning and hopping out of bed before his arms could react and stop her.

"You're kidding," Matt said with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment as she walked to the coffee table. "You're not really going to pick that up?"

"It could be Ed" she chastised, digging through the tabletop make messy by Matt's pillow. "Hello?" Eddy answered, throwing Matt's pillow back at him as he pouted on the bed and giggling quietly when it pegged him square in the face.

"Good morning Eddy-chan!" Misa greeted warmly on the phone line. "Misa-Misa hopes she didn't wake you, Misa-Misa called once before. It's after one o'clock so she figured Misa-Misa was safe"

"Well you sort of did, I had a late night last night and I slept in a bit. But no harm done" Eddy said, smiling into the receiver as she thought of her and Matt's very active night after they had finally said 'I love you'.

Misa giggled, "Oh, well Misa-Misa hopes you still have enough energy for shopping today!" she said.

"Yeah, of course. What time were you hoping to go? I still have to get ready and stuff, but, yeah…" Eddy said, returning to Matt's side as she spoke.

"Oh, Misa-Misa needs to take care of a few things as well, how about you meet Misa-Misa at the mall in 30 minutes?" Misa said, Eddy barely paying attention to her words.

She gave Matt a poke, and he groggily turned, giving her a pouty glare for once again interrupting his sleep schedule. "I'm not done with you yet, don't you go back to sleep" Eddy said quietly, holding the phone away as she spoke and gave him a light kiss on the neck.

"Eddy-chan? Are you there?" Misa asked, her voice faint with the phone at arm's length.

Eddy grinned at Matt, "Yes, of course I'm still here. I don't think I could make it in 30. How about… An hour?" she said, but Matt quickly mouthed 'hour and a half' at her with a wink. "No, wait, an hour and a half" Eddy corrected, blushing brightly as another large satisfied smile settled over Matt's face.

"Um, okay" Misa said hesitantly, "In that case, would you like to get lunch as well?"

"I-" Eddy began, but cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath as Matt began teasingly kissing her taunt stomach. "Yes, Misa, that sounds fine. Now I really better be-"

Misa cut her off, "Are you alright? You sound weird…" Misa commented, Matt chuckling as he heard her.

Eddy shot Matt a dark look, "Just fine. I'll see you in a bit" she hurriedly said, snapping her phone shut before lightly punching Matt in the arm. "What the hell, I was talking!" Eddy protested, her face a bright scarlet now.

Matt gave her a sheepish grin, "Don't pretend you didn't like it" he said, sitting up on the bed to lightly kiss her chest with his eyes gleaming at the soft sigh she emitted.

"Shower, now" Eddy directed, pushing him lightly away from her.

Matt pouted, "Aww, no sex first?"

She rolled her eyes at him, getting off the bed and making a beeline for the small bathroom. "What do you think we're going to do in the shower together?"

**…**

"Oh! Eddy-chan!" Misa greets brightly, pushing up her stylish oversized sunglasses to rest on top of her perfectly-coiffed head. Misa runs towards Eddy energetically, ignoring the tottering it causes her with her thick-heeled platform boots, and enveloped the other girl in a hug.

Eddy smiles at Misa, returning the hug before openly displaying her confused expression as Misa pulls away from her. "Hey Misa, who's the guy?" she asks, pointing to the friendly-looking Japanese man dressed in a slightly-wrinkled suit.

Misa smiled, "This is Matsu! He's my agent, and kinda like my bodyguard. Light gets so worried about me sometimes, so he insisted Matsu come along with us today. It's not a problem, right?" she asked.

"Right, it's not a big deal at all" Eddy said, forcing an easy-going smile to her face. "I'm Eddy French" she greeted, using the same stage surname her twin used, reaching out her hand to shake the man's.

"My full name is Touta Matsui, It's really great to meet you! Misa-misa talks about you a lot" the man said with a smile.

_He seems nice enough, _Eddy thought, _but the fact that Light sent him to watch us… Makes him very suspicious. Apparently, Light is already distrusting of me. I certainly have to be careful of what I say now, if I continue to try to pry Misa away from Light with Matsui here, he could tell Light all about it later…_

The three of them scoured the mall; Misa forcing Eddy to try on nearly everything she saw, eventually purchasing all of the items the actress deemed 'fierce', with Matsui forced to play the pack mule with all the boxes and bags- a job he preformed amiably and without a single complaint. Between their appointment for mani and pedicures, they had just enough time for lunch and Misa dragged them all to a classy restaurant across the street.

"You'll love this place, Eddy-chan, they have a lot of different types of food here" she said with a smile. "Misa-Misa thought you might like to have something American again; Ed was mentioning the other day how he was craving pizza" she finished with a giggle.

Eddy smiled at her, "Well, I don't think America really has it's own food, we borrow from a lot of different cultures" she said. "But now that you mention it, I'm dying for a hamburger"

Just as soon as she said it, a waitress appeared at their table like magic. "Konichiwa! Hyōjungo un bunyo kyōtsūgo di desunai wa?" the waitress asked in Japanese, making Eddy look at Misa in confusion.

Misa smiled, gently patting Eddy's hand, "Don't worry, I got it" she said before turning to the waitress. "Tohuko, mie du deni et vouci du hamburger, je voudrai un frie doyo hana-ga, et sur homme di nagai moratta oshi" she said at a rapid pace, indicating Matsui's order as well before sending the waitress off on her way.

"Misa-misa, if you don't mind me asking, who's Ed?" Matsui questioned, his curiosity genuine, although the question made Eddy furrow her brow.

_How does an agent not know all of the people working with their client on a project? Surely he should know of Ed's name at least. He seems like a pretty incompetent agent. Unless… he isn't really an agent? _Eddy wondered to herself, "Oh, Ed's my twin brother. That's how me and Misa met, actually, Ed's the lead in the movie Misa's working on right now" Eddy spoke up, smiling and trying to appear innocent to his suspiciously uninformed question.

Misa nodded, "That's right. This is Ed's first movie, even! But Misa-Misa can tell he has a lot of talent, well, of course he does; otherwise they wouldn't have put him the lead!" she said, giggling at herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I totally forgot his name!" Matsui said, blushing with embarrassment. "So, that's why you came to Japan, Eddy? How do you like it so far?"

"It's not like I really had a choice, being twins it's hard for us to be so far away from each other. It makes both of us uneasy, and Ed was positive it could effect his acting" Eddy said.

Misa grinned at her, "It's so cute how close you two are!" she cooed.

"I guess," Eddy said with a blush, "It makes me glad that the two of you are becoming such good friends, though. Do you think you'll come visit us after the movie shoot is over?"

"Of course!" Misa said, then halted, "Well, if Light permits me too. He is Misa-Misa's boyfriend after all, and their's no doubt we'll be getting married soon, so it'll have to depend on the timing" she said, more solemnly than her previous positive agreement.

Eddy frowned, "How are things between Light and you lately?" she asked with concern, though careful to be delicate about the matter since Matsui was present.

"Oh, fine, fine, of course" Misa said, a little to readily for Eddy's taste.

"Have you been able to see him lately? I know you said he works a lot" Eddy said.

She lowered her gaze to her water glass, absent-mindedly drawing circles with her finger on the tablecloth. "No, not lately. Light hasn't been able to pay much attention to me" she said.

"But Misa, you know Light loves you very much" Matsui assured, looking guilty with his own words.

His expression made Eddy frown, and only furthered her opinion that the relationship between Light and Misa was not a healthy one. _If Matsui can't even say that with a straight face… Well, it's clear that he knows both Light and Misa well, so it definitely means that their relationship is weak._ Eddy thought, jumping at the loud beep that came from her jean's pocket.

"Oh sorry, it's a text" Eddy said, pulling the phone from her pocket and flipping it open.

**MSG**

**From: Bro**

**Hey! What are you doing tonight?**

**Me and Danni are going to see the Tokyo Tower at 8.**

**Bring Matt!**

Eddy chuckled to herself at her brother's excessive use of punctuation designed to annoy her, "What is it?" Misa questioned curiously, and Eddy looked up in surprise.

"It's just something from Ed. Apparently Him and Danni are going to sightsee the Tokyo Tower tonight and he wants me and Matt to come," she paused, "Wait, you and Light should totally come along too!" Eddy stopped when she saw Misa's face, crumpled with confusion and her eyes glazed with some sort of sadness. "Hey, are you okay?" Eddy asked in concern.

Misa swallowed heavily. "Yeah, I… Misa-Misa's fine!" she assured, masking over her upset expression with her usual bubbly happiness. "So, are Danni and Ed like, dating now?"

Eddy quirked an eyebrow at her mood turnaround, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure… Well, I don't really know if it's just casual or not. That's a good thing to get out of him later, though" she said.

"Misa-Misa didn't know she was such a good matchmaker!" Misa exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight. "Do they seem happy together? Oh, has she 'stayed over' yet?"

Eddy made a gagging noise, "Ugh, he's still my brother, Misa. Talk about gross. But as far as I know, Tracy Henderson in junior year was his one and only" she said, the subject making her extremely uncomfortable. "Why do you want to know that anyway?"

"No reason! I'm just too curious!" Misa said hurriedly, her cheeks blushing brightly. "Though I can hardly believe Ed's only done that once, surely he must have had other chances. I mean, he's sweet and he surely has looks" she commented, babbling away with her burning cheeks and a small look of horror etched into her face as if she couldn't get herself to stop talking.

"Misa, do you… like Ed?" Eddy asked, grinning at her.

Misa waved her arms frantically in front of herself, "No, no, not like that! No, no, he's just my coworker! I can't help but notice these things!" she assured, her mouth still going, "Besides he's your brother! And, and, I have Light" she added, finally able to clamp her lips shut from her nervous babble.

"Oh my god, you so have a crush on my brother" Eddy said with a smile. "I don't think he's that into Danni anyway, they haven't hung out alone since that karaoke night"

"Really?" Misa asked, her eyebrows peaked in interest.

Eddy nodded with a chuckle, "Yep. And I saw how you two were laughing together yesterday, you guys have fun together. I bet he likes you too" she said.

Misa clenched her napkin tightly in her hands, "Well I… I have a duty to Light. I'm going to marry him" she said, her face a mixture of both nervousness and a sudden adorable shyness.

"It's not like I'm telling you to do anything, just saying. I know it's a big deal to jeopardize a relationship" Eddy said with a shrug. The lull in the conversation that followed her words left enough time for Eddy to subtly glance at Matsui's expression; and she was slightly surprised to find him studying his napkin and studiously trying to ignore their 'girl talk'. Not in a bored way, mind you, in a way that said he was clearly trying to respect their privacy.

_Does this mean that Light hasn't given him orders to pay attention to what I say? _Eddy thought with furrowed brows, _Or is he simply being polite for the time being but taking notes in his head? Or maybe… _Eddy nearly jumped from her chair as her eye caught on one of the button's on Matsui's suit; it was a mic. After Matt had told her the truth about him and Mello, he'd educated her about specific tells regarding surveillance equipment in case someone tried to observe her to get to Matt or Mello. _He's wearing a wire! Recoding everything we say-or relaying it back to Light at least! But how does Light have enough money to do that? Is Matsui secretly some sort of investigator Light hired to follow Misa around? But how can he have the money? I thought Light was a police officer, at least that's what he said at karaoke night…_ Suddenly, everything seemed to click into place for Eddy. _Light's father is on the Kira investigation team, which would make it an easy in for Light to get on the team as well. And even though Matt said that Mello knows the real L is dead, their's still an L working on the Kira case right now. Could it be that the reason Light's stayed out of suspicion for so long is that he's in charge of finding Kira?_

With her newfound realization, a smile worked over Eddy's face. Light and Misa just had to come to the Tokyo Tower tonight.

**A/N: Suspense! Also, I've added some Haptic doodles to my photo bucket, which can be viewed by clicking on the homepage link on my profile. The next chapter is going to be good, hope you're looking forward to it! And, as always, thanks for the lovely reviews and favs! -Luv, Cart**

**PS: Like all of my DN stories, the Japanese in this chap is fake and even (gasp) mixed in with French (because fuck I know that language fluently and why couldn't DN take place in France, huh?).**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, hands off the girl" Matt ordered while swallowing down his fear of the two burly men. "You're just here to transport her back to headquarters, not anything else." he said, thankful for having the advantage of being Mello's right-hand man. Because of the fact, the men would be forced to follow his orders or receive Mello's wrath.

The Yagami girl shivered slightly, her grasp of English less-than perfect, so she most likely had no idea that she was now free from harm. "T-thank you" she said in heavily-accented English, her voice cracking with fear as the man's hand was removed from under her skirt.

It took everything Matt had not to facially display his sympathy and pity for the girl; an act that signaled weakness and an opportunity to strike for the mafia members. "What are you waiting for, put the gag on" Matt said, watching as the men added a cloth gag to the ropes and blindfold she was already burdened with.

"Mello didn't give us any other orders after we got the girl," a gruff voice said.

Matt eyes the man from the rear-view mirror before turning to merge into the Tokyo traffic. "You're to meet another man at the airport and hand Yagami off to him. Then, you'll all board the 6:30 to LA and pretend you're strangers to each other until you receive a signal. You'll know what to do from there" he stated, glancing at the young woman bound and shaking in the back seat. Something in his gut told him this was wrong, _She's never done anything bad. Except for being born to the Yagami's, she's not involved in the case at all. She's so innocent. And who knows what those guys will do once their out of my sight-_Matt cut off the thought and switched lanes on the highway; taking the exit for Tokyo International Airport.

Suddenly, a ringtone cut through the tense silence of the van and Matt pulled the device from his pocket with a frown. "What do you want?" He asked moodily into the receiver, fully expecting another one of Mello's annoyed orders after having somehow found out the pawn shop cell phone's number.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Eddy asked.

Matt nearly face-palmed as he immediately recognized her concerned and confused tone. "Nothing. Sorry. What's up?" he asked, maneuvering the van as he spoke.

"Oh, um, okay" she said, obviously not believing him but somehow dropping it as she went on. "Hanging out with Misa today gave me some really good info, and I came up with a plan for tonight. Hopefully to get Misa on our side"

"Tonight?" he questioned.

"Right! I forgot! Ed and Danni are going to the Tokyo tower tonight and invited you and me. Then, I invited Misa and Light. If we play this just right, I'm sure my plan will work. Or we can at least help distance Misa from Light more" Eddy said.

"Well, that sounds great, but what time?" Matt asked, pulling up to a strip joint just outside of the airport; the meeting spot where they'd hand off the Yagami girl.

"Ed said 8, but I suspect that he'll be later then that. Maybe 8:30-ish?" she said, "you sound really distracted… I can call back later to explain my game plan if you want?"

_That gives me two hours to finish this up and get over there. _Matt thought as he turned in his seat to observe the men freeing the Yagami girl of her bindings and blindfold, "Leave the gag in, and hold on a sec" he said to them while covering the phone receiver with his hand. "Yeah, that's for the best. I'll call you when I can"

"Okay. I love you" Eddy said hesitantly, her worry coming through clearly in her voice.

He couldn't help but smile into the phone. "Love you too" Matt said quickly before snapping the phone shut. "She can't go in a place like that in a school uniform. There's a duffel bag behind the back seat, get the clothes out of it" Matt directed the men before focusing on the teary girl.

"Sayu, right?" Matt asked calmly in Japanese, hoping his tone and the familiar language would calm her down. She nodded a slow 'yes' at him, and Matt continued. "Under my orders, these men are not to hurt you or touch you. That being said, don't give them a reason to. Our plan depends on you behaving normally, so any screaming or running or any attempts to convey your situation to others in any way is an incredibly stupid thing to do. I'm not the overall boss of these men, and he's probably encouraged them to discipline you if you do anything like that. Do you understand?"

She nodded another 'yes', still looking incredibly scared with an accompanying relief in her features as well. "They cannot understand what I'm saying to you, so I'm free to say this; we want you to return to Tokyo unscathed. We really don't want to hurt you, but that doesn't mean that they won't hesitate to. These men are ruthless, and I'm telling you that your best chances of surviving is simply to do as they say. Will you?" he asked, smiling softly when she nodded a 'yes' at him again.

"Alright, take off the gag, she won't give us anymore trouble" Matt said to the men, who quickly did as they were told. "Now, give her the clothes and step out of the van"

"No way!" One of the men spoke up, "We were told by Mello not to let our eyes off her even once"

Matt frowned at them, sighing as he retrieved a cigarette from the glove box and put it between his lips, "I don't give a damn what Mel said to you" he stated in a dangerously low voice before pulling the hidden gun from the clutter of the glove box and whipping it around to face one of the men right between the eyes. "Get out of the van. She'll join you shortly"

Reluctantly, the men did as they were told largely because neither of them had weapons since they'd had to come through customs to get to Tokyo. "Change quickly" Matt said to Yagami in Japanese once the men were outside. Matt lit his cigarette, and as the rustling of cloth sounded, he conveniently looked out the window to watch his smoke curl away through the open space.

**…**

Eddy stepped out of the subway and heartily took a breath of fresh air, "Why is it that all subways smell like piss?" She grumbled to herself, flicking her hair back over he shoulder as she continued to hurriedly walk the half-block down the street to the Tokyo tower. It was almost 7:30, and if she walked any slower, she'd be late.

"Eddy-chan~!" came the sudden greeting among the beeping horns and humming traffic. Eddy turned to see Misa waving at her from a taxi window, the car driving up next to her on the sidewalk before stopping. "How long have you been walking, silly girl! Get in!" Misa suggested cheerfully, opening the door for her from the inside.

A smile immediately overtook Eddy at the actresses' peppy demeanor. "I just got off the subway, so not long at all, but thanks for the ride" Eddy said with a smile as she shut the door, the taxi immediately veering back out into the traffic.

"No problem! Since we're going to the same place, it's no trouble at all!" Misa said with a smile. "Can you believe I've lived in Japan all my life, but I've never done any of this tourist-y stuff? Tonight is going to be so much fun!" Misa chattered.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Ed for awhile too, so I'm pretty excited as well" Eddy said, looking around the inside of the taxi before raising a brow at Misa. "Hey, was Light not able to come after all?"

Misa vigorously shook her head, "No! He's just working, so he'll be a bit late. But why isn't Matt with you?" she asked.

"Oh, the same. You wouldn't think Matt's a workaholic just by looking at him, but when something important come up he really hops to it" Eddy said with a laugh.

Misa giggled along with her, "Boys, huh?" she said, just as the taxi came to a stop.

The driver muttered something in Japanese in a gruff voice that made it hard for Eddy to catch anything but the price, which she was still inexperienced with and therefore unsure weather or not it was affordable. "Hey, let me chip in a bit" Eddy offered, but was quickly shushed and ushered out of the taxi by Misa.

Once on the curb, Misa happily linked arms with Eddy and the two of them entered the tower in unison. Like any tourist attraction, it was pretty heavily populated, but not so much that it was impossible for the girls to recognize Ed's identical pale-blonde hair. "Ed~!" Both Misa and Eddy greeted as they made their way over to him, but upon reaching the scene both of the girls balked in their tracks.

"Can't you at least give me a reason?" Danni said, tears glistening around her eyes as she clutched desperately to Ed's hoodie.

Ed sighed painfully, Eddy could immediately tell that he was loathing doing this to Danni. "Come on, you can't tell me you haven't seen this coming. We fight all the time, and when we don't, we're fooling around. That isn't healthy. It's weird to not be able to talk to my girlfriend about stuff; weather it's little things, or big stuff that's really bothering me. When I try to talk to you, you always act like you don't care or try to turn it into sex. It's weird" he said.

Danni huffed at him, reddening at his words, "Don't act like I'm some kind of freak! Just because you don't want to have sex all the time, doesn't mean it's not normal! Any guy WOULD KILL TO DATE A GIRL LIKE ME!" she screeched, her voice suddenly rising into hysteria as Ed winced. "GIVE ME A REAL REASON, YOU ASSHOLE!"

"Danni, come on, don't make a scene. Calm down" Ed pleaded.

"CALM DOWN?" she yelled, several bystanders curiously observing the two now, "YOU BRING ME UP ON THIS STUPID TOWER, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE ROMANTIC, AND YOU BREAK UP WITH ME? AND THEN TELL ME NOT TO MAKE A SCENE?"

"Hey, people are staring" he said, trying to keep his voice quiet as he leaned into her and gently took her arm to lead her off to someplace more quiet.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Danni screeched, ripping her arm from his grasp and shoving him backwards. "JUST TELL ME THE REAL REASON, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Ed was getting frustrated now, and it was sheer exhaustion with the situation that caused him to yell back at her, "BECAUSE I DON'T LOVE YOU! I HAVE FEELING FOR SOMEONE ELSE! I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT UNDERTAND, AND WE COULD BE FUCKING FRIENDS! IF YOU'RE GOING TO YELL AND BE A CRAZY BITCH, THEN JUST LEAVE!" he yelled back at her.

Immediately, her face crumpled up and Danni was reduced to tears as she stormed off, the opposite direction from Misa and Eddy. Ed stared after her, embarrassed at his own reaction as he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. Observing the still-gawking crowd, Eddy hurriedly made a beeline for her brother. "Okay, Fight's over, you can go back to whatever you were doing!" Eddy said, putting an arm around her brother and leading him towards the balcony and away from the bystanders, Misa speechlessly following behind them.

"Aww, Ed, I'm so sorry" Eddy said gently, patting him on the arm and sharing a sympathetic stare with Misa as they both rubbed Ed's back comfortingly.

Ed sighed, "That's just not the way I meant for it to go down at all" he said forlornly.

"No one could have seen that coming, Danni's normally so level-headed" Misa commented, making Ed jump as he appeared to only just notice her presence.

He covered his face with his hands and rested his elbows on the balcony, "Ugh, sorry you had to see that Misa" Ed said regretfully.

Eddy smiled to herself at the situation, while she wasn't happy about Danni's meltdown and her brother's resulting mopey-ness, it was a perfect set up for her plan. "You know what, I'm gunna go grab you a coffee from the vending machine, it'll make you feel better" she said, hurriedly making her departure in order to leave little time for protest. However, Ed seemed not to notice either way, since Misa was now giving him a very touching speech about 'other fish in the sea' and 'destiny'.

"Well, thanks for the thought Misa, but I've heard all of that before, and I don't really think it's going to make me feel any better" Ed said. "I just can't believe I do these stupid things all the time. I didn't really mean to break up with Danni, but when we got up here I couldn't stop thinking about how there was another person I'd much rather share it with. And then I just started telling all of this to her, about how we weren't right for each other and everything. I just blurted it all out like an idiot. I'm so stupid sometimes"

"You're not stupid, Ed. People make mistakes, things happen. You're a great actor, you're so genuinely caring and sweet, you read all the time-you know tons of stuff I haven't even heard of! Plus, you're a really great brother to your sister. You're a great person" Misa finished with a smile.

Ed finally uncovered his face in order to look up at his co-star. "No, I'm not. I'm the one that got me and Eddy disowned by our parents. If I hadn't said I wanted to go to art school, Eddy wouldn't have said so either, and we'd be living easy off a trust fund. Acting is a fun job, and I love to do it, but it forces Eddy to work at a job she hates in order to pay our rent in LA. I'm selfish. I do care about people, but usually when I try to help them I end up putting them in worse trouble then they were in before. And anything I actually know about no one cares about anyway. I'm useless. I'm doomed to dying alone, poorer than dirt, pining after some girl" he said mournfully.

A long silence enveloped the two of them as they stared out the balcony and observed the sparkling view of the Tokyo lights below. "Have you ever heard that story about the red string of fate?" Misa questioned quietly, finally breaking the silence. When Ed shook his head, she continued, "Well, it starts out talking about a poor street urchin boy who lived in an alley and survived by stealing food and making money when he could by singing, dancing, or acting out famous texts in the street. Despite how he lived the boy was kind and gentle and always gave half of his food and money to an old man, who lived in the alley like him, but who was too sick to obtain his own food."

"One day, while singing and dancing on the street, a big parade came by with beautiful banners and dancing servants and many musical instruments. It was a parade to celebrate the young princess, and when she rode by in her carriage, the boy immediately fell in love with her. Not only was the possibility of a relationship between them hopeless because of his status, but because the parade was to celebrate her marriage to a prince of another land. Full of sadness, the boy walked back to his alley where the old man quickly noticed his mood and asked him what was wrong."

"After telling the old man the dilemma, the boy was shocked to see the old man laughing heartily. Before the boy could respond in anger, the old man told him a story about the gods. He said that, a long time ago when the gods realized that sometimes the perfect mortal couples of the world would never meet and die of sadness instead, that they needed to intervene. A matchmaking god made a long length of red string out of pure fate, invisible to mortals, and tied it around the pinkie fingers of couples destined to be together. The string could stretch and tangle, but it would never-ever break."

"Anyway, the myth goes on to describe the true love between the princess and the street urchin, and that even though she was to be married to another, that she had fallen in love with the boy the minute she'd seen him through the carriage window. The two of them find each other and flee the land together, and they both live happily ever after. All because of that little string of fate on their pinkies" Misa finished, lifting her right hand and wiggling her pinkie finger for emphasis. "It's a silly story, I know, but I want to believe in it" Ed was silent, Misa was suddenly self-conscious, and she once again placed her hand on the balcony. Perhaps it was an accident-that her hand overlapped his only slightly as she placed it on the balcony railing, or perhaps it was something larger that was simply going to according to plan-as their pinkie fingers interlocked each other perfectly.

**…**

Eddy stepped outside the Tower entrance while cursing at her phone. "Fucking thing makes me pay a shitload for overseas coverage, but won't get a single reception bar when I'm in the tallest fucking tower in Tokyo?" she muttered to herself in disbelief, starting to dial Matt's number as she stepped into an alley to get away from the traffic noise.

"Eddy?" Came the voice from behind her, and she jumped in spite of herself before wheeling around to spot none-other than Light Yagami getting out of a taxi.

She sputtered for a moment, checking the clock on her phone before snapping it shut. "You're early! Misa said that work was going to keep you a bit late!" Eddy said, unable to keep her voice from slightly squeaking out of nerves. _If Light goes up there now, he could ruin everything! With Ed and Misa finally alone in such a romantic setting, it could be the chance for her to see that Light is the exact opposite of a good boyfriend!_ Eddy thought in a panic.

Light gave her an odd look at her behavior. "Things wrapped up quicker than I expected. Why are you down here, isn't Misa here already?" he asked.

"Oh, no it seems like I'm the first one to arrive! I figured I'd wait out here for them" Eddy said, grinning at herself for how easily the lie came to her.

"That's odd, considering Misa called me in a taxi 45 minutes ago and said she was a block away from the tower" he said, immediately making Eddy pale under his intimidating scrutiny. "…And you have the Tokyo tower stamp on your wrist for re-entry…"

Eddy's eyes were wide, _Shit! Now he definitely knows something's up! If he's really Kira, then that just might mean that he's going to kill me for trying to get Misa away from him!_ She thought in a panic, wincing as he grabbed her upper arm with a surprisingly brutal strength.

Light was grimacing at her, his handsome innocent boyfriend act slipping further as he spoke, "Just what the hell are you trying to pull here?" his voice was deathly serious and made her break into a nervous sweat despite the cool night air.

"Y-you're hurting me" Eddy squeaked quietly, unsure of what to do as she grew more and more fearful of what Light would be able to do in the alleyway. It was far enough from the tower entrance that no one would see them unless they passed by on the sidewalk, not to mention that if the concrete surrounding them blocked out most of the traffic noise, that no one would be able to hear any noise coming from the alley.

"You think you can come into my town and start messing up my plans?" Light asked, his nails digging deeper into her arm despite her protest. "Listen to me, if you think Misa wouldn't do anything for me, then you're-"

"HEY!" A loud shout interrupted Light's threat, and as both of them turned to see Matt charging towards them from the alleyway entrance, Light retracted from her as if she'd burned him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, you fucking prick?" Matt asked, shoving Light further away from Eddy as soon as he got close enough.

Light pasted his usual 'I'm just the perfect boyfriend' smile over his face. "Whoa, calm down. Eddy was just upset about why you were so late, and I was trying to comfort her" he said. "Their's no problem"

Eddy gaped at Light as he lied through his teeth, about to correct him herself when Matt spoke. "No. There most definitely is a problem. I'm going to the tower to get my friends and we're leaving. You're not welcome around us. And if I ever see your fucking hands on her again-" Matt leveled a gun right between Light's eyes, making both him and Eddy gasp aloud. "I'm a damn good shot" he finished, wrapping an arm around Eddy as Light lifted his hands in surrender. The couple backed out of the alley, fearful of turning their backs to Light, and it was only when they were firmly on the sidewalk again that Matt hid his weapon.

"Did he hurt you?" Matt asked gruffly, clearly still pissed as they hurried towards the entrance of the tower.

She was dazed, "Since when did you get a fucking gun, Matt?" she asked in an astonished half-whispered tone as she looked around at the crowd milling outside of the tower entrance. It made her wince when she noticed Light trailing close behind them.

"I said, did he hurt you?" Matt asked again.

"Um he grabbed my arm really hard, I think it might bruise, but I don't think his nails broke my skin" she said as they entered the lobby. Matt said nothing more and quickly paid for a ticket before he covertly managed to avoid the metal detector, thanks to the large crowd, and they started up the elevator. In no time they made it into the second lobby, the floor that Ed and Misa had been on, and got out of the first elevator the same time Light emerged from the forth one across the hall.

It was through great strength of will that Matt only managed to give Light a glare instead of a black eye like he desperately wanted to, and the three of them reached the outside balcony at exactly the same time. Which meant that all of them were simulantiously exposed to Misa and Ed's deep kiss.

**A/N: OH MAN! The shit really hit the fan in this chapter! Things are getting intense! I hope it was worth the wait, so, so sorry for making you wait so long ;_; As always, I highly appreciate your reviews and favs :D -Luv, Cart**


	14. Chapter 14

"Misa!" Exclaimed Light, gruff with the clear anger he felt stemming from the scene.

Ed and Misa jumped apart, both red-faced upon seeing their audience. "Light? I-I thought you were working late" Misa stammered, shocked.

"I decided to wrap things up quickly in order to see you," Light stated coldly, glaring at Ed. "But it seems my trouble was a waste of time"

Misa locked her gaze with the ground in her shame as Ed started to speak. "Shit. Light, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-It just happened, I didn't mean to step on your toes. God, I feel like shit. I know she's yours, but you weren't here and I can't help how I feel-"

"Don't apologize to the bastard" Matt suddenly spoke up, all eyes turning to his outburst. He held Eddy protectively to his side as he spoke with measured anger. "I caught Light threatening Eddy in the alley outside, he would have hurt her if I hadn't stepped in. Light's a manipulative, creepy bastard that doesn't treat women right. The facts are that Misa deserves someone better, so don't apologize, Ed" he finished, leaving Misa gaping in surprise.

Light's mouth was agape a full minute before he recovered, but Ed was already talking before Light could collect himself enough to speak. "You tried to hurt my sister?" Ed asked rhetorically, his voice outraged as he glared at Light. "You son of a bitch! I knew you were a jackass from the way you treated Misa, but threatening a girl like that? Threatening anyone-You're fucking lucky I don't beat the shit out of you!" Ed said, advancing on Light as he spoke and shoving him harshly.

Eddy was getting noticeably nervous; while she had never seen Ed fight, she knew he had no education on the subject (having preferred to take drama classes instead of the karate their parents had wanted) and it was unlikely he would win against the more athletic-looking Light. Not to mention the rapidly gathering bystanders would be enough of a reason for security to throw them out after causing the second loudest uproar of the night.

"Matt, do something. If they fight…" Eddy trailed off worriedly, tugging on Matt's sleeve as she watched the tension between Light and Ed escalate. However, as much as he wanted to intervene for Eddy's sake, Matt waited to see what Light would say for himself.

"Matt's utterly absurd fantasy aside," Light glared at Ed, brushing imagined filth from his suit where Ed's hand had made contact with the material. "You have no idea of the depth of our relationship. You've only worked with Misa, what, three weeks? You know nothing about her, or me for that matter, so it's best that you calm down before you embarrass yourself" Light said with an even tone, exerting a snobbish poise that was a surefire way to set Ed off.

"If I know nothing about her, then how do I know her favorite food is cheesecake but she doesn't eat it because she think's it'll make her fat? How do I know that she decided to become a model in the hopes of going to Paris and traveling to exotic places? How do I know that she took an extra-credit class in high school about Greek mythology-for fun-that she made a B in? How do I know that you don't often come home from work at night, so she usually sleeps in the room at your office? How do I know that you constantly write off her career as being unimportant? How do I know that you can't see how talented, or beautiful, or smart she is?" Ed said, enraged. "I've had enough of your bullshit entitled attitude, Light"

"Misa loves me, she would do anything for me, and we're very happy together" Light stated coldly. "She would never leave me, especially for someone like you" as he spoke, Light reached out to wrap an arm around Misa. Much to Light's shock, she shrugged his possessive gesture off quickly while backing away from him at the same time.

"Stop it!" Misa exclaimed, tears and mascara running down her cheeks as she clutched her arms tightly around herself. "Light, stop speaking for me like that! If you took the time to talk to me, you would know how much I hate that!"

"Misa, you're being silly-"

"NO!" she shouted, interrupting the visibly annoyed Light, "I'm not! I'm not silly, or stupid, or air headed-and I'm tired of acting like it! I'm tired of pretending to be something you want! I try so hard, all the time, just to please you! I try to make you smile, or laugh, or show some kind of emotion, but I can't! I can never feel good enough for you! You never pay attention to me anymore, you always act so cold-like we're business partners or something!"

A dangerous look flashed over Light's face at the sentence, "Misa, stop. Think about what you're saying" he said menacingly, something dark hidden under the tone of his words.

"I have thought about it!" she insisted before continuing in a much more subdued, broken voice, "You don't love me, Light" A long silence grew between them and hung in the weighted air as Misa evidently waited for a protest from Light, which never came.

She let out a short, bitter laugh. "I thought so" Misa said quietly, lifting a hand in an attempt to wipe the tearstains from her now dry cheeks. "The thing is, I knew it. It always felt like I was trying too much, doing the work to keep the two of us together and getting nothing from you in return. You can act however you want, Light, but you're really a cold person. It's hard to love someone like that, and I think I'm done trying"

"Misa, I-" Light began, his voice more gentle now in hopes of soothing her, but he was quickly cut off regardless.

"Let me finish, please." she said, "They're right when they say I deserve someone better. I didn't want to see you how everyone else seems to, because you were perfect to me, but I understand now. While you may have done something nice for me once, it was just a coincidence, wasn't it?" she asked, remembering how her love for Kira-and Light by conjunction-had stemmed from his attack on her family's murderer.

Again, Light said nothing in response.

With his silence, she could feel her heart breaking; which ultimately only strengthened her resolve. "What you said you wanted me to be, I'm not that person anymore. I'm not doing it anymore" Misa stated, referring to his request for her as his queen of the new world; ruling by his side. "Matsu can bring my things from the office"

Light stared at her, a complicated rush of emotions gathering on his face, "Misa, just to be clear, you understand what this means?" he asked slowly, as if trying to engrave the words into her. He knew, if she did this, Misa could become a fearsome enemy with her knowledge of the Death Note.

Misa gave him a slight smile, "Yes, but we're at a stalemate. You can't touch me, being that what I have in my possession also comes with the deal I made. Plus, what I have has a real owner and wasn't stolen, so I have the power of my owner." she said, pleasantly smiling at Light. Since Misa was the owner of Ryuk's true Death Note, and not the one that the shinigami had stolen, Misa was in charge of denouncing her hold of the notebook-therefore, Light couldn't make her forget what would be incriminating evidence against him, even if he tried. Not to mention, she still held the power of the shinigami eyes; a valuable asset, that without, would make Light's plans of a new world difficult.

Of course, Misa's words and true meaning were gibberish to both Eddy and Ed; Matt being the only one to furrow his brow at the arguing ex-couple as if trying to decode the cryptic messages. Somehow, Matt couldn't help but think the words shared between the two were somehow invaluable. After all, Misa had been suspected of being the second Kira-and as Matt had theorized before, it was very possible that Light had been manipulating her into being Kira2 with as much ease as he had manipulated their relationship.

"Which means what, exactly?" Light said with a smirk, continuing the battle between himself and his now very threatening ex-girlfriend. "I'm prepared to loose everything that's close to me, so that won't be a way to stop me, Misa. It's really a game of who can get to a pen first, isn't it?" Light asked.

Misa looked troubled by his words. "I… hadn't thought of it that way. Rem was willing to save me before, but I doubt that _he_ would…" she trailed off, knowing full well Ryuk's preference to watch the human's antics detachedly-as he was doing now, perched on a piece of the Tokyo tower and cackling manically. Whereas Rem loved Misa enough to be her failsafe, Rem was now gone thanks to L's death, and Ryuk would not be so kind as to save the blonde.

"There is another way that you might manage to get out of this intact, and you know what that is" Light said.

"You mean, forget what I know" Misa said slowly, frowning at the realization. The only way Light was going to let her live, would be for her to denounce her Death Note and forget all of her important memories pertaining to Kira and the notebooks. Meaning all the valuable evidence she had witnessed would be lost, and Light would be free from persecution as Kira.

"Yes" Light answered stoically.

The silence that ensued was flooded with tension as Misa tried to think through the situation. _I told him my true name when we first met. So if I walk away now… I'm dead. _She thought with a grimace as she stared at the smug face of her once boyfriend, now tormentor. _I know too much for him to let me live any other way. He wouldn't believe me even if I told him that I have no interest in turning him in. It wouldn't be worth it. He may be a bad boyfriend, but as Kira… How do I even feel about Kira now? If Light was just killing criminals at random, then my family's murderer was just happenstance. He isn't my savior. He's not who I thought he was…_

Neither Misa nor Light looked at Ryuk as he landed between them on the Tokyo tower's tourist-accessible level. "This certainly is interesting" the shinigami said with a chuckle as the two continued to ignore his presence and stare at each other instead. "Misa, I'll tell you right now that I won't protect you. So make your decision"

Light smirked at the death god's words. "…Do you have something you want to tell me, Misa?" he asked.

"Misa Amane is my stage name" the blonde spoke slowly.

Light was momentarily floored before the anger welled up in his face, poorly hidden behind a stoic demeanor. "What?"

"I got the idea from the police report when my parents were killed" She said wistfully. "An officer said it was necessary to protect my identity, and suggested the name Misa because it could be written with the character 'help'. As for 'Amane', Maybe that's my last name, and maybe it isn't."

He stared at her as if trying to detect her lie. "And you assume I believe you?" Light asked.

Misa shrugged, working hard to appear indifferent. "Try it right now, in front of everyone" She urged, knowing full well that to do so would be as good as a confession.

Light slowly shook his head at her. "Maybe I have overlooked you Misa, but you know that I don't loose. You aren't as capable as I am" he said, tapping the side of his head to signify his formidable intellect.

"You're right" Misa said with distaste. "I wouldn't be able to get rid of my _best friend _as easily as you did"

The statement, while simple, sent Light's temper flaring as he angrily grit his teeth at her. "You can do whatever the hell you want, Misa, but if you value your life you'll keep your mouth shut" he said before turning on his heel and marching into the tower's stairwell.

His departure didn't give any of them relief, but it broke the spell of immobile gaping the rest of them had been trapped in during the course of the argument. "Why do I feel like him leaving you hasn't made you any safer?" Ed said, putting his arm around Misa.

"Because it hasn't" Misa said, her eyes welling up with tears in a mixture of anger and fear. "If anything, staying with him was safer than this"

"We need to keep her from panicking and get her somewhere safe so she can talk before Light starts his offensive" Matt said quietly to Eddy.

The seriousness of his words as well as his businesslike tone obviously startled her, and Eddy stared at him as if he was a stranger.

Sighing, Matt tried again, "Listen; we need to go. Now. You take Ed and go back to my apartment. Misa and I will get anything from her place that's important and meet you there. If we don't show up in an hour, call Mello and tell him everything. Take the keys, and here's the fair for the bus"

Numb with the information he bombarded her with, Eddy nodded numbly and accepted the keys and money he thrust into her hands. "But, what if Light's already at her place? If-"

He cut her off, "He won't be. If anything, it'll be one of his police lackeys. Especially if he's the new L like we thought." Matt supplied.

"But what if something happens?" Eddy asked nervously.

Matt mustered up the most re-assuring smile he could, lifting one of her hands to his lips before lightly kissing her knuckle. "Don't worry" he said, before turning to a still-pissed Ed trying to soothe a jittery Misa.

"Ed, Eddy's taking you back to my place" Matt stated. "Misa, you're coming with me. We'll get anything important from your place and then we'll meet them"

Misa's eyes immediately went wide, "Are you crazy? I can't go there now, Light will have someone waiting for me. I don't want to be away from Ed either" she said, clutching Ed's arm like a life vest.

"I'm not leaving her, Matt" Ed added stoically.

Matt gripped Ed's shoulder with one hand, "You have to trust me. Misa will be safer with me, and if anything that's incriminating or bearing Misa's real name is at her place; Light will get her" he stated.

Ed's temper was evidently still itching to start a fight, as he rather violently shoved Matt's hand off of himself. "Why the hell would she be safer with you?" he barked.

"Knock it off!" Eddy insisted, stepping between her brother and her boyfriend. "don't be stupid, the last thing we need to do now is fight. If you don't want to trust Matt, than take my word for it; he's Misa's best hope right now. You don't know Matt as well as I do, he's-"

Matt halted her words by gently placing a hand on her back. "This isn't the place to talk about that. Explain to him when you get home. We need to get moving" he said.

Eddy nodded resolutely at him before turning her attention to the blonde actress, "Alright, Misa, are you ready?"

She gulped before replying, "Yes" Misa answered, her voice cracking with nerves.

"You better take care of her" Ed stated, glaring at Matt as Eddy practically dragged him towards the elevator. The siblings quickly left the other two behind as Misa and Matt disappeared inside the stairwell and blended into the rest of the crowd leaving the Tokyo tower.

Each with their own thoughts to occupy themselves, it wasn't until they were safely on the bus bound for the apartment that Ed spoke up again. "What did you mean, Matt's her best hope right now?" He asked quietly.

Eddy carefully scanned the passengers of the bus as subtly as she could before she focused her attention on her brother. "He knows more about this than both of us. I don't want to say too much, I'll explain at the apartment" she said.

Her words only seemed to frustrate her brother more. "How can you be so calm about this? Light has the power of a badge behind him, he could be doing anything with them right now. You heard what he said to Misa-he threatened her fucking life, Sis" Ed said gravely.

A sudden jolt of panic ran through her, and Eddy let herself feel the entire weight of her helplessness with a shiver. "Of course I'm not fucking calm, you idiot!" she blurted out. "I'm just trying not to freak the fuck out because that would do absolutely nothing to fucking help!"

The shocked stares from the rest of the demure bus passengers caused Eddy to hurriedly look out the window in embarrassment at her outburst. Ed took a minute to recover before he spoke again, "Look, I'm sorry-You're right. I just… still kinda overwhelmed I guess…"

"…Yeah…" Eddy said quietly, the nervous thrumming of her heartbeat settling down slightly when her twin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

**…**

"Misa, do you know how to drive a stick shift?" Matt asked as the two of them rapidly made their way down the sidewalk.

The blonde seemed to hobble behind him at nearly half the pace, her high heels hindering her significantly. "Uh, sort of. I was in a show once where-"

"Good, here" Matt said, tossing her the keys after unlocking the car.

Misa tottered on her heels as she came to a stop beside the driver's door. "Well, I… don't know that well…" she stammered.

Matt was already sliding inside the passenger seat. "Just get in and go" he stated, and the blonde complied.

The mustang started easily, and Misa carefully worked her way into the busy Tokyo traffic. "Why can't you do this? It's a lot of pressure. I only drove a manual once on a TV set years ago…"

Matt ignored the nervous shock her words sent through him, he was not a person known to let anyone drive his car, let alone a Kira suspect with little-to-no experience. "I'm searching the internet right now for anything that could lead Light to your real name, and either jamming up the site or deleting the info. You're lucky the Japanese police department has such a shitty firewall. And you can thank me later" he stated, his fingers flying over the keyboard of the netbook he kept under the mustang's seat.

The blonde smiled to herself, despite of the fear still working through her body, "So, to my place, then?"

**Yes, yes, an update after all this time. Believe it or not, this chapter actually had three different versions, that were rather hard to write, and this is just the one I liked the most. Thanks for the support, dear readers, and stay tuned. -Luv, Cart**


	15. Chapter 15

The repetitive clicking of his fingers against the keyboard halts when Misa slows the car, preparing to enter the parking lot behind her expensive apartment. "No way," Matt said. "are you crazy? Of course his goons will be waiting for you there. Go around to the next street over, we'll come back through the alley" he ordered, Misa complying without so much as a nod.

"So, where do we go from here?" Misa asked quietly, nervously surveying their surroundings as Matt gets out of the mustang without hesitation.

He slides the netbook into a small messenger bag, pulling out a cigarette from one of the pockets as he does so. "Pop the trunk, then get out and come around to the back. Try to stay in the shadows" The two them gather around the trunk and Matt pries it open with a tired creak of the metal. The space is full of odds and ends, mostly technical pieces, but there are a few clothes and weapons scattered throughout the junk.

Matt retrieves a green army jacket and a black beanie almost immediately from out of the fray. "Put these on. Tuck your hair into the hat, it's too inconspicuous" he said, tossing the clothes at her before digging around in the rest of the junk.

"These smell like mold" Misa commented before making a disgusted face, but putting on the disguise all the same. The jacket dwarfs her small frame, making her look like a much larger person after she zips up the zipper. Combined with the beanie letting out only small scraps of her blonde hair at the bottom, she could pass for an especially pretty civilian.

"Does your apartment have a backdoor?" Matt asked, pulling the hood of the sweater he'd located in the trunk over his head. Once he had on his usual goggles, Matt looked nothing like the boyfriend Misa and Light had met.

"Yeah," Misa answered. "Well, sort of, the fire escape has a loose window on my floor. We could probably jimmy the lock and get in that way"

Matt nodded, lighting his cigarette before slamming shut the trunk and leading the way through the trash-ridden back alley. "What about a security system? Buildings like yours will probably have one, they alert certain people of break-ins and such. Those people will undoubtedly be under Light's control by now, so it's important that I know what kind of system we'll be dealing with" he said, keeping his eyes sharp for possible detectives in the deserted alley.

"Uh," Misa said in a non-committal tone. "Well, to be honest, I never notice stuff like that. I do know that the fuse boxes and stuff are in the basement, if that helps?" she said, whispering now that they stood in the back lot of the apartment complex.

He took an exasperated long drag of his cigarette, expelling the smoke as a plan solidified in his mind. "Okay, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to get into the basement and scramble things as best I can. I'll have to jam the security system, as well as the video feeds. That means I might have to knock out the lights as well, which would give you about… 20 minutes if they have a good security team in there that know their tech. You'll have to go up through the fire escape, get the essentials you need as well as anything with your name, and get out of that window before the system gets rebooted. Do you think you can do that?" Matt asked.

Misa reached down to take off her hindering heels before throwing them in a nearby trash pile. "I used to run track in high school. I can do it. But, what if Light's in there waiting for me?" she asked.

"That's exactly the problem. If there isn't someone in there now, there's someone in the building. The moment that I jam the system they'll know something's up, and your apartment is the first place they'll head" Matt sighed. "that's why you have to be quick, and as quiet as possible. The only thing your hands need to touch are the things that you need. Don't worry about clothes or shoes or anything; think documents, passports, bill and bank statements" he said.

She nodded. "Most of that stuff's in a safety deposit box at my bank, so I should be able to get in and out in 15. If I'm any longer than 20, just assume that something's gone wrong and you'll need to come help me"

"I really hope that's not the case, we could both get trapped inside if the security system goes back up. You better take this" Matt said begrudgingly, handing her a small handgun.

Wide, saucer-like eyes stared back at him in shock. "I-I can't shoot anyone. No way" Misa stuttered out.

Matt threw his dying cigarette to the ground, stubbing it out with the toe of his boot, "You don't necessarily have too, guns are great bargaining tools. But if you need to, it's loaded. If it comes down to your life, you'll be able to pull that trigger" he stated, charging ahead towards the trash cans and the ladder of the fire escape; leaving her no choice but to follow.

"Matt… you… you really are in the mafia, huh?" Misa asked quietly, making the redhead stop abruptly in front of her.

Silently, he gave her a boost to the ladder, "Hey, Misa?" He called out to her, continuing as she looked over her shoulder down at him. "When you get out, head straight for the car. If you're in danger, go. Don't wait for me" The only answer Matt received was a nod, and when he saw that she was standing safely on the first landing, he headed for the cellar doors on the other side of the trash cans. It was an electronic lock holding the heavy metals doors closed, ironically the tech was typically used in lieu of keys in order to prevent break-ins, but it was no match for someone even a third of Matt's caliber.

Misa climbed three landings up to her floor before waiting for the lights inside to go out, a definite sign that Matt had gotten his part done. The window was nearly silent as she slid it open, and the hallway she stepped into was filled with stiff stillness not expected during a blackout. The lack of people and panic filled her body with tension, but she made sure to keep each stocking-clad step forward as quiet as the last. Blood rushed and echoed her quick pulse in her ears as Misa reached her door to find it unlocked and slightly ajar.

Thoughts of panic and terror tore through her like lightning, the effort alone of keeping her body moving forward made her shaky and dizzy. The door moved easily on it's hinges and she entered the foyer hyper-aware of every noise existing in the small space; a dripping tap, the faint noise of the traffic from her half-open window, and a slow clicking of her bedside clock. No breathing, or sounds of movement from a man awaiting her in the darkness. Slowly, Misa moved.

The black backpack on her coat rack was soon half-stuffed of the important documents she kept hidden away in her kitchen drawer, the contents of the safe behind her wall poster the second to be dumped in the bag. Misa was halfway out the door before she doubled back, remembering in haste the last existing family picture resting on her bedside table. It was when her fingers closed around the silver frame that she heard the click of a gun being cocked.

"Misa" A voice said sadly, neon lights from the street bellow illuminated the room enough that Misa could recognize Matsuda in the darkness. It suddenly hit her that the bathroom door was open, the only obvious place where the police officer had been hidden.

The blonde shook, staring at the muzzle of Matsuda's gun as her free hand burned at the touch of the gunmetal concealed in the pocket of her jacket. "M-M-M-atsu, what are you doing?" Misa asked, her eyes watering as she shifted her stare to the man's face.

He was focused, but his face clearly displayed his regret. "I don't want to hurt you, Misa-Misa. Please raise your hands where I can see them" Matsuda said, his voice even in determination of his orders.

Misa stared numbly at the detective that had once been her friend. "Why does it have to come down to this?" she asked rhetorically, letting her tears fall freely down her face.

"I'm… Sorry…" Matsuda said slowly, both of their eyes boring into one another's.

Everything suddenly moved faster as Misa pulled the gun from her pocket, yet the expressions on his face were so clearly ingrained in her mind as he went from shock to steel. At the same time, the two pulled their triggers, and momentarily illuminated the dark room with bright gunfire.

…

The twins were both sitting on the couch, nervously rim-rod straight as they let the light of the TV bathe their thoughts. It was silent except for the noise from the nightly news, neither of them were really watching the program, but both of them were staring absently at the screen; lost in their own worries.

That is, until the door to Matt's shitty apartment was slammed open to reveal a bloody, crying, screaming Misa carried by Matt. He started yelling the minute he ran in the door, "Purified water, one of you start boiling some on the stove. I need towels, as clean as they can get, vodka in the freezer, a knife, the first aid kit under the sink" the redhead ordered, sweeping the ashtray and various trash off of the coffee table before laying Misa on top of it.

The room was suddenly chaos, yelling and action crowding the small space. Ed, having jumped up at the sight of Misa along with his twin, was red-faced and screaming at Matt the minute he caught sight of Misa. "I fucking knew it! I knew I should have stayed with her! What the hell did you do? What the fuck happened to her?" he yelled, voice increasing with every word as he advanced on Matt.

Eddy, previously stunned into silence at the scene, shoved her brother away from Matt. "Shut the fuck up if you want to help her! Grab the pot under the sink!" she screamed back to him, shoving him towards the kitchen before collapsing on her knees next to Misa. "It's going to be okay, you're going to be okay" Eddy mumbled helplessly to her wailing friend, her hands covered in blood as Matt pressed her palms over the bloodiest part of Misa's chest.

"Where was she shot? Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Eddy asked in a daze, looking up to see that Matt had disappeared into the bathroom to retrieve towels and the first aid kit.

Misa squirmed in pain, her hands scratching at her bloodied chest. "It hurts! It hurts so much! Ed! Ed, I'm so scared!" she wailed, her tears mixing with the dried and fresh blood marring her torso and making it impossible to distinguish where the wound was.

From the kitchenette, Ed came running with a knife and the bottle of vodka. "Shh, I'm here. It's okay, you'll be okay" he said to her, holding her hand and kneeling beside her, before lifting his head towards the bathroom doorway where Matt was emerging. "You fucking fix her, you better fucking fix her right now!" Ed screamed.

"We need to take her to the hospital" Eddy said, almost pleadingly, as Matt kneeled down beside her.

Matt was ignoring the scene as much as he could, putting all his focus into his nimble digits. "We can't. They'll be looking for her there. I've done much more things like this than you might expect" he stated, shifting Eddy's hands so that she was pressing a towel down on Misa's wound.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ed asked in quiet disbelief from the other side of table, staring at Matt as if he was an alien.

The redhead fixed Ed with a cold stare. "The water's boiling over. Bring it here, let it cool" Matt ordered, Ed hesitantly getting up to comply.

"How many times have you done this before?" Misa asked through gritted teeth, wincing and spasming from her pain.

"Eddy, get her shirt off, but don't move that towel when you do it" Matt stated, digging through the large home-assembled first aid kit.

Trying not to think of the stress that his avoidance was causing, Eddy ripped clear through Misa's flimsy t-shirt and gulped at the sight. It was clear now that the blood was stemming from a wound in Misa's side; a commonly fatal area. Not even the injury was a worrying as Misa's increased stillness; the blonde was beginning to slip in and out of coherence, and if they didn't get the bullet out soon and the wound stitched up-she'd die from sheer blood loss alone.

"Clean the knife with that vodka, then give some to Misa. Don't let her fall asleep, keep her awake" Matt ordered, retrieving a needle and thread as well as gauze and bandages from the kit.

Knowing what he was planning to do with the knife, Eddy cleaned it and gulped before handing it over to Matt. "You never said, how many times have you done this? Will she be okay?" Eddy asked hesitantly, staring in awe at the polar opposite disposition Matt was emanating from his usual self.

"She'll be fine" Matt stated, as if his pure determination alone could keep the actress alive.

His lengthened avoidance of what could be considered the most important question directed at him, did nothing to quench Eddy's unease. However, just as she opened her mouth to repeat herself, Ed came barreling back into the room with a steaming pot of water.

"Good, now don't pour it over her when it's hot like that, but when I finish it should be cooled, so clean her up with that water then" Matt stated, placing his prepared stitching needle aside in a bowl of vodka. Taking a deep breath, Matt positioned the knife carefully over Misa. "God dammit, give her some of that shit. This is going to fucking hurt" he said, frustration and nervousness seeping out of his features.

Ed was seemingly frozen as he held Misa's hand and stared at her wound, so Eddy hurriedly took on the task of pouring vodka down Misa's throat. "Are you sure you can do this? Surely we can find some doctor willing to-"

"It's either this, that would maybe kill her, or take her to the hospital and have Light find her to kill her for sure" Matt stated. "there's no real choice" he finished, inhaling another deep breath to steady his hand. Without warning, he dug the cool metal into Misa's wound; immediately eliciting a reaction from her.

With a high-pitched wail, Misa's eyes opened unnaturally wide as she thrashed around on the coffee table. Thankfully, Eddy had instinctually reached out to pin the actress down-otherwise Matt might've slit her entire belly open.

"Don't fucking move!" Matt ordered, concentration etched alarmingly deep into his face.

Misa, whimpering, complied except for infrequent trembling; and Matt managed to locate the bullet. Slowly, as to not slip or drop the bullet any further into her body, he retrieved the bullet from her side. As the blade left her skin, and immediate swell of bright red blood followed; causing another hysterical scream and panic from Misa. Quickly, Matt doused the wound in vodka-causing the actress to hiss in pain and momentarily stop her convulsing.

Picking up the needle, Matt remained in eye contact with the wound. "Hold her" he said, swallowing thickly and beginning to look sick at the volume of the blood.

"Shh, Misa, It's okay" Eddy hushed her softly, with involuntary tears from the strain of the situation rolling openly down her cheeks. Carefully, she held the girls hips down securely to the table.

Misa was staring at the bloody mess of her side with wide, horrified, eyes. "Oh god, I'm going to die, aren't I? I don't want to die! I don't! Please, don't! Don't let me-" she broke off her watery words with a sob.

Gulping, Eddy squeezed her hips comfortingly. "Misa, look at me. Misa!" she said, smiling weakly as the actress's eyes swimmed over to the female twin's face. "You're not going to die. We aren't going to let you die. Right, Ed?" The girl broke eye contact to look at him, Ed giving them a dazed nod in return. "R-right, Matt?" Eddy asked, wincing as her voice cracked.

Exhaustedly, his green eyes met hers; his goggles having been tossed somewhere during the commotion. "She's done. Stitched up. It isn't pretty, but it'll work" Matt said, his familiar crocked smile returned to his face.

Eddy's eyes welled up with more tears, and aside from stuttering something that might have been a garbled "Thank you!" she wordlessly enveloped the redhead in a warm hug.

"She's… going to be okay?" Ed asked slowly, prompting the two to break apart.

Her tears now spilling over from happiness, and not stressed panic, Eddy smiled widely at her brother. "Yes! She's okay! Everything's… Everything's fine!"

Giving her a wide grin in return, Ed collapsed backwards against the side of the couch. Immediately fearing the worst, Eddy jumped up with a cry, immediately checking her twin's pulse. "He's… He's alive…" she stated almost in disbelief, unsure if her own heart's vigorous pounding was anxiety or a Kira attack.

Matt gently pulled her to him, "It's common to faint when adrenaline withdrawals from your nervous system" he said comfortingly.

"Is that why she's…?" Eddy asked, referring to the now sleeping blonde actress on their coffee table.

He almost laughed, "Yeah, she's been through quite the ordeal tonight. We need to put them to bed" Matt said. "I have some extra futon mats in the closet that are pretty comfy, help me lay them out, huh?"

Nodding, Ed stood on wobbly legs and followed the redhead to the closet; trying not to think of the new worries that were plaguing her now that she was aware Matt knew something as unsettling as fixing up a bullet wound with household items. She'd been aware of his mafia ties for some time now, but to have the weight of the knowledge hit her so bold and sudden… It made her dizzy with tension.


End file.
